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Review
. 2017 Aug;56(4):1263-1281.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-013-9817-8.

Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology

Anand N Bosmia  1 , Terence M Zimmermann  2 , Christoph J Griessenauer  3 , R Shane Tubbs  1 , Eben L Rosenthal  2
Affiliations
Review

Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology

Anand N Bosmia et al. J Relig Health. 2017 Aug.

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.

Keywords: Hinduism; India; Myiasis; Peenash; Worms.

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