Repetitive Brain Injury

It's not like me to tell the truth in this column but this really happened.

A young woman sat next to me on the train one morning and began caressing herself. She stroked her neck, shoulders and upper back with the tips of her fingers.

After about ten minutes curiosity got the better of me and I asked her why.

She said, "I'm doing exercises for my RSI."

It's called overuse syndrome now but in those days it was repetitive strain injury.

She went on to explain that she worked for the public service and six people in her office had "caught it" the same week.

Straight up! That's what she said – they caught it. It's a virus!

Employer organisations and insurance companies are now offering a generous bounty to any researcher who develops a vaccine to eradicate this insidious ailment.

Dr. Frank Enzyme of Mamre College is confident of making an early breakthrough and the medical world awaits developments.

So do I.

If the stuff works I'm going to try it on my arthritis.