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« Guerilla Burger Wars | Main | Women-and-Eroticism Linkage »

January 20, 2008

 Fact for the Day

Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --


  • Men fart more often than women do, but women's farts stink worse.

Source.

Fun to learn that Michael Levitt, the world's leading expert on farts and farting, is also the father of Steven ("Freakonomics") Levitt.

Semi-related: Back here I wrote a bit about Joseph Pujol, the 19th century French music-hall performer known as le Petomane, or The Fartiste.

Best,

Michael

posted by Michael at January 20, 2008




Comments

Men may fart more numerous
But women fart sulphureous.

Posted by: ricpic on January 20, 2008 12:23 PM

What about the noise? Who exudes a zephyr, who, as it were, blows his own trumpet?

Posted by: dearieme on January 20, 2008 12:55 PM

And I assume your fartology is based on hard-core facts using a Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and willing (or perhaps just unwitting) test subjects?

Another little known fact: the Roman Lucretius was driven mad by a love potion made from the essence of liquid fart, no doubt collected from female slaves who had dined on cabbages and kings.

Collection assistant positions were a fast revolving-door hiring nightmare, no doubt.

Posted by: Cowtown Pattie on January 20, 2008 2:30 PM

It ignites. Back around 1950, some high school friends of mine tried it-- and burned their ass.

Posted by: Richard S. Wheeler on January 20, 2008 5:29 PM

It ignites

A kid I knew in college was a fart-lighting specialist. My God, he could shoot blue flames out of his posterior like a military flamethrower.

Posted by: Peter on January 20, 2008 6:44 PM

Another fart fact for the day ... in early medieval Ireland, a common entertainer that would've been employed in the court of a local king was a professional farter. ;-)

Silly superfluous detail from "Cattle lords and clansmen: The social structure of early Ireland" by Nerys Patterson

Posted by: HiberniaGirl on January 21, 2008 2:25 AM

The Fartiste is a funny rendering of le Petomane but not necessarily the most accurate. A few other words in French end in -mane. Some examples:

toxicomane : drug addict
mythomane : compulsive liar
nymphomane : nymphomaniac

You'll notice that, in all of the above, there is some notion of addiction, compulsion, excess. "The Fart Addict" is thus probably closer to the original French.

Posted by: do on January 21, 2008 7:06 AM

Ricpic-- "Sulphereous" is good!

Deearieme -- Studies need to be done! If the Feds are going to waste money on silliness, why not on silliness we can all enjoy?

Cowtown P. -- Lucretius? Why don't they teach this fact about him in high school?

Richard -- Just a guess, but I'm hazarding that beer may have played a role in that adventure.

Peter -- I wonder if gifts like these help attract women? It's a talent, after all. Time to confer with Roissy.

Hibernia Girl -- These are the details that bring history to life!

DO -- So, maybe "The Farting Maniac" would make more sense? Tks for the help.

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on January 21, 2008 9:56 AM

Do you suppose that a professional Corps de Farteurs could solve global warming?

Posted by: Richard S. Wheeler on January 21, 2008 2:46 PM


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