Hugh Young is almost a foundation member of the Skeptics. A retired broadcaster and editor, he collects words (published in two dictionaries) and “circumstitions” at the website www.circumstitions.com. He has published three papers on social aspects of this topic.
Cutting off “my sweet ounce of man’s flesh”* has been touted as good for everything from epilepsy to swine flu, so when it’s claimed to be good for HIV/AIDS, our BS-detectors ought to go off. Once near-universal in New Zealand, now it’s almost unknown, but it remains as American as apple pie. A leg-crossing presentation including an epic poem.
*Love’s Labours Lost iii 1 142
Hugh’s speech (and poem) can be listened to below:
Part I
[audio:https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/wp-content/upload/2009/09/Hugh-Young-Pt-I.mp3]Part II
[audio:https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/wp-content/upload/2009/09/Hugh-Young-Pt-II.mp3]