# "Monkeypox?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416 "2003-06-12T19:35:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/1 "2003-06-12T19:35:05Z")
It must be awful to _get_ it, but jesus, what a name. James Lileks says today in his _Trib_ column, “It’s just fun to say ‘monkeypox,’ and that’s why the story’s so irresistible. Doctors must have a hard time breaking the news; they have to stand outside the examining room and stop laughing before they put on their Doctor Faces and tell their patients that they have —grphym! excuse me. Monkeypox. Blyrgm! Hyrt! Sorry, something in my eye.” S’trewth! Just _try_ to say “monkeypox” with a straight face. No wonder Tom Brokaw always cuts away to a visual when talking about it. Any other funny-sounding diseases or syndromes? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/2 "2003-06-12T22:03:23Z")
For extra hyuks, say “monkeypox” with a sing-song (east) Indian accent. If you have an Indian friend, get them to say it while doing that hard-to-imitate head bobble. mon-KEY-pox! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/3 "2003-06-12T22:40:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*Any other funny-sounding diseases or syndromes? \*\* No offense to any sufferers, but: “Trichotillomania” rolls off the tongue nicely. I recently went to a presentation on behavioral treatment methods. “Happy Puppet Syndrome” has now, thankfully, been given another name. It’s a genetic disorder. Another was, IIRC, “Cocktail party syndrome”. It was used to describe a developmental disorder with high social functioning, but deficits in daily living skills. And I’m sure that, “Asperger’s syndrome” would make Beavis and Butthead laugh. I’m glad that social psychology is recognizing that bad names = more stigmatization. Psychologists would probably call “Monkeypox”, “Simian Blister Sundrome” or something less laughable. For an example of a well described social science disorder google, “Dead Grandmother Syndrome”. Whistlepig ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/4 "2003-06-12T22:55:13Z")
I’ve always been partial to saying, " Kuru" Which is, last I read back in 1981, the rarest disease, which has something to do with getting sick from eating a human brain. ( I think.) ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/5 "2003-06-12T23:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > **Trichotillomania** 🙂 Try telling someone you suffer from it. When I told my boyfriend about it, he looked at me as if I had just developed a third foot on my forehead. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/6 "2003-06-12T23:47:10Z")
What’s wrong with having peaceful monkeys? Oh wait, that’s monkey _pax_. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/7 "2003-06-12T23:52:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > \*\*I’ve always been partial to saying, " Kuru" > > Which is, last I read back in 1981, the rarest disease, which has something to do with getting sick from eating a human brain. ( I think.) \*\* It’s similar to mad cow disease, and is, therefore, passed by eating neural tissue. Anyway, this isn’t exactly guffaw-out-loud funny, but in my lab we test for mutations in the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene, abbreviated “MTHFR.” It takes about 10 seconds for new employees to start calling it the “mother f-er” gene. Ha ha. ---
**Author:** ![TeaRoses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/8 "2003-06-13T00:49:51Z")
I know it isn’t funny… but Maple Syrup Urine Disease. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/9 "2003-06-13T01:02:58Z")
Omigod, I think I _have_ “Cocktail Party Syndrome!” Not only do I have “high social functioning, but deficits in daily living skills,” but I frequently find myself in a little black dress, trading quips and bon mots while sipping enterprising little drinks! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/10 "2003-06-13T01:11:28Z")
Ok, I could not resist the powers of Google: \*\* > [@](#): > > Happy Puppet Syndrome: > A condition in which children laugh frequently for almost any reason and whose jerky movements and flapping of the hands are similar to those of a marionette, or puppet-- hence the synonym “happy puppet syndrome.” Other disorders include a peculiar facial expression, mental retardation, movement disorders, microbrachycephaly, and various neurological disorders. \*\* \*\* > [@](#): > > Cocktail Party Syndrome > > A language disorder in mentally retarded but educable children who have the ability to learn words and to talk, without knowing what they are talking about. They love to chatter, but think illogically. \*\* I think most of the people I meet, including the one that is in the mirror every morning, suffer from CPS. ( 🙂 ) Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) > [@](#): > > \*\*Maple syrup in urine disease is an inheritable metabolic disease of amino acid metabolism characterized by acidosis, central nervous system symptoms, and urine that may smell sweet like maple syrup. \*\* Incidentially, and nearly as expensive, if when you turn on your air conditioner in your car and smell something akin to Maple Syrup, it means that your coolant is leaking and traveling through the exhaust system which = gobs of money to fix. IRC from hearing this on ASK THE CAR GUYS. So, if you have MSUD, don’t piss in your anti-freeze. \*\* [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/11 "2003-06-13T01:31:33Z")
Yes, Monkeypox is kinda fun to say, but even better, it Spooner-izes (Spoonerism-ses?) nicely, too. I almost immediately started thinking of it as Moxie Punk. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/12 "2003-06-13T02:34:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*Omigod, I think I _have_ “Cocktail Party Syndrome!” > > Not only do I have “high social functioning, but deficits in daily living skills,” but I frequently find myself in a little black dress, trading quips and bon mots while sipping enterprising little drinks! \*\* Honey, my world and welcome to it… ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/13 "2003-06-13T02:37:20Z")
Whoever named the disease is probably a direct descendant of the person who came up with the name for Chicken Pox. What does a future generation have to look forward to? Lobster Pox? Piggy Pox? Pink Flamingo Pox? My God, where will it end? ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/14 "2003-06-13T02:48:40Z")
Boston Red Pox D ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkeypox/181416/15 "2003-06-13T03:51:28Z")
**Dahnlor** Welcome to the Boards! So low a post count, so funny a pun. It’s all down hill from here.