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Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology

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Abstract

Various case reports on nasal myiasis written during the 1990s and 2000s state that nasal myiasis, which is known as peenash among South Asian natives, is a form of divine punishment in Hindu mythology, but do not provide citations from Hindu scriptures that would suggest this interpretation. This paper aims to discuss the phenomenon of peenash in a historical context by examining medical literature written during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to identify Hindu texts contributing to the belief of some Hindus that nasal myiasis is a form of divine punishment, and to provide an overview of contemporary treatment for and management of nasal myiasis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Anand N. Bosmia & R. Shane Tubbs

  2. Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Terence M. Zimmermann & Eben L. Rosenthal

  3. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35209, USA

    Christoph J. Griessenauer

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  1. Anand N. Bosmia
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  2. Terence M. Zimmermann
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  3. Christoph J. Griessenauer
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Correspondence to Christoph J. Griessenauer.

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Bosmia, A.N., Zimmermann, T.M., Griessenauer, C.J. et al. Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology. J Relig Health 56, 1263–1281 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9817-8

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