title: Nasal Myiasis in Hinduism and Contemporary Otorhinolaryngology.
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.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Anand N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Bosmia
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Terence M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35209, USA. cgriessenauer@uabmc.edu.
authors.forename: Christoph J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Griessenauer
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shane Tubbs
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Eben L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D018596:Hinduism; D006801:Humans; D009198:Myiasis / Q000628:therapy*; D009668:Nose Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010036:Otolaryngology / Q000379:methods*; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology; D012068:Religion and Medicine
keywords: Hinduism; India; Myiasis; Peenash; Worms