Doctor Curmudgeon® It Can’t Be For the Taste!

By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAP Doctor Eisman, is in Family Practice in Aventura, Florida with her partner, Dr. Eugene Eisman, an internist/cardiologist

Why do they do it?

What an unbelievable thrill to stand on that Olympic Platform while a shiny medal is draped around your neck!

Years and years of dedication and pain have been rewarded.

But, why on earth, chomp down on that medal?

There are photos of great athletes such as Simone Biles and Michael Phelps biting their medals.

Where did this bizarre Olympic tradition start?

The answer to this epic question comes from a CNN interview in 2012. David Wallechinsky, President of the international Society of Olympic Historians was queried about this peculiar practice of Olympic medal winners. He told CNN that photographers, in their lust for a unique photo op, began to insist on these wacky shots. “It’s become an obsession with the photographers. I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell.”

In 2016, Olympic medalists, Dawn Harper-Nelson and Natalie Coughlin agreed that it was the photographers hounding them to do it. Coughlin said, “They wear you down and they make you bite it.”

Harper-Nelson explained “They’re screaming, ‘Look at me!’ You just have everyone yelling demands of ‘Smile! And ‘Bite your medal!’”

Biting your medal is not a great idea. I’m sure dentists would agree that it can be hazardous to your oral health.

David Moeller was a silver medalist in 2010 when he munched away on his medal and broke a tooth. He told a German newspaper, Bild, “Later at dinner, I noticed a bit of one of my teeth was missing.”

Biting gold was popular during those hectic days in the late 1800s, during the California Gold Rush. This was a quick way to check whether the gold was authentic. Gold is soft and bite marks would be seen. But if the gold was fake…ouch! You would find yourself with very painful, and, most likely, broken teeth (without modern dental care, teeth were not in the best condition, to begin with!)

Olympians of today have no reason to nip away at their medals, because it is common knowledge that the last solid gold medals were given out in 1912. Modern gold medals have a minimum of six grams of gold and the rest is silver and copper.

Silver medals are one hundred percent pure silver.

The Bronze medals are ninety five percent copper and five percent zinc.

So, please, dear, courageous Olympians; keep those medals away from your sparkling teeth!

Save on dental bills!

Nosh away on dark chocolate.

Dr. Curmudgeon suggests “Bitter Medicine”, Dr. Eugene Eisman’s story of his experiences–from the humorous to the intense—as a young army doctor serving in the Vietnam War.

Bitter Medicine by Eugene H. Eisman, M.D. –on Amazon

Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.

SERMO www.sermo.com “talk real world medicine”