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The Facts About Subway Warts

Yesterday we explored commuters who place their bare feet on the subway seats, but just what is the consequence of placing bare skin on anything underground? Well, Dr. Jay Parkinson just happened to discuss the dreaded "subway warts" over at Free Williamsburg recently. He says that "fungi really like warm, moist environments like showers and locker rooms. The last time I put my hand on a subway pole, it wasn't warm nor moist. But it did feel like someone just slimed it with a slice of bologna." Well, slime just can't be good, but in the end he notes that "it's very unlikely that you'd get a fungal infection from casual contact with a subway pole." Frequent hand washing is recommended, however, because that slime could at the very least land you with a nasty cold.

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Comments [rss]

  • robingee

    Man, you guys are in a bad mood today.

  • west side Michael

    Playing with ones self will give you

    warts and bumps.

  • Spirit of 76

    Get a job. Oh, that's right. No company is dumb enough to hire you. Good bye.

  • Snoopy

    I still go back to the original situation regarding a person with the warty bumps. He should have explained warts are different than a fungus type growth. Fungus normally don't take a bumpy form, or am I wrong Dr. Spirit? So what could possibly be causing the bumpy growth? You tell me Doc.

  • Snoopy

    I know the difference between an idiot who wants to come off as a media personality and throw out his reflections on medical advice and some one who, like yourself, likes to sit at home counting your reuseable shopping bags.

    Is DR. J trying to be the next Oprah of the medical world? If not he should shut up. You meanwhile, should take a chill pill and STFU.

  • Spirit of 76

    Are you really this dense, or is it just an act? I find it hard to believe anyone is really as dumb as you. Read my lips (or my words): It is illegal for any physician to give a medical diagnosis without examining a patient firsthand. Any first-year premed student could tell you that. Dr. Jay can provide facts about diseases, but he cannot tell anyone he doesn't personally examine whether or not they actually have any of those diseases.

    But then again, I expect no better of Snoopy. You try to throw around terms you don't understand. You don't even know the difference between diagnosis and prognosis.

  • SeasTooFarToReach

    wash your hands

  • Snoopy

    Thank you for following my comments it turns a rainy day into sunshine for me.

    Are you saying Dr. Jay can't diagnose someone's problem without seeing them. Then why is anyone asking his opinion if he can't give one?

  • Spirit of 76

    Geez, Snoopy, no wonder nobody wants to hire you. Even McDonalds has higher standards. The writer mentioned "warty bumps" then asked about the possibility of fungal infections. He or she never asked what the bumps were. Besides, Dr. Jay would be liable if he tried to render any kind of diagnosis without actually seeing the patient.

    As someone else wrote about you a few weeks back, "You're like a baboon, but less clever."

  • JacqueMehoff

    that's why I asked, in his previous posts here, his house-calls practice was limited to patients 40 and under. don't know about his storefront practice.

  • cucarachita

    Oh, and BTW - a heads up for all: corner seats on the subway!



    They're where all the vagrants sleep and scratch their asses and pick their noses and leave their stink and slime. Probably the best place to catch something.

  • cucarachita

    JacqueMehoff: seriously? that would explain why he never got back to me. Jeez, if that's true, I'll be very upset.

    Anyway, yes, every time I go on the subway, I make sure I have plenty of hand sanitizer. And if I'm wearing shorts, I Hand Sanitize the back of my thighs. That sounds funny! But it's true.

    Yesterday I grabbed a subway pole, and there was gum on it. People are pigs.

  • Snoopy

    Dr. spirit,

    At the same time he never addresses the warty bumpy thing does he? The sufferer thinks it might be fungal in origin, but is unsure. So what is your prognosis, warty bumps or jungle fungal disease?

  • Mr Mel

    Anyone who would go barefoot on the streets or subways of this city is suicidal.

  • JacqueMehoff

    is his practice still selective? patients 40 and under?

  • moocowtoo

    I hate it when people rub bologna on my subway components!!

  • Spirit of 76

    And maybe if you actually read the column, you'll see that he never called them warts. Somebody complained about "warty bumps" and asked about the possibility of fungal infections. Dr. Jay never once mentioned "warts" himself. Honestly, is it that hard for Gothamist readers to click on links these days before jumping to conclusions, or do you desperately need to show you're so superior that you don't have the time for that?

  • robertr



    Perhaps if he wants to start being a real doctor, Dr. Jay should learn that warts are not caused by fungi, but viruses. But then again, perhaps being a real doctor doesn't actually interest him. It seems that money and blogosphere fame is more relevant to him.

    Hello Health seems like the antithesis of actually caring about people who need health care. He's just another doc-in-a-box -- but one that has Style and doesn't have an interest in taking care of people with real medical problems.

    Enjoy!

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