Occupational Hazards

May 23, 2006 12:22 AM

"Writer's block," "swimmer's ear," and "athlete's foot" are all examples of occupation-specific conditions. Are there any others?

I am fairly sure that there's at least one more that I haven't thought of. Note that I'm looking for conditions or maladies that fit the pattern X's Y.

posted by jenovus to Writing & Language (60 answers total)

tennis elbow
posted by wilful at 12:23 AM on May 23, 2006

housemaid's knee
posted by Rumple at 12:24 AM on May 23, 2006

hockey hair
posted by clh at 12:25 AM on May 23, 2006

shouldn't those be "hockey player's hair" and "tennis player's elbow" to fit the format?
posted by Rumple at 12:27 AM on May 23, 2006

roofer's knee, golfer's elbow
posted by Manjusri at 12:27 AM on May 23, 2006

oh, and

miner's lung
posted by Rumple at 12:28 AM on May 23, 2006

smoker's cough
posted by frogan at 12:29 AM on May 23, 2006

space invader's wrist (seriously)
posted by frogan at 12:30 AM on May 23, 2006

Response by poster: It looks like "housemaid's knee," "roofer's knee," and "carpetlayer's knee" (what?) all refer to patellar bursitis, so I guess that only counts as one thing. But thanks so far, everyone; I am impressed with the quick responses!
posted by jenovus at 12:35 AM on May 23, 2006

"anatomist's warts"
posted by Rumple at 12:42 AM on May 23, 2006

mule-spinner's cancer
chimney sweep's cancer
posted by Rumple at 12:50 AM on May 23, 2006

Farmer's Tan
posted by Packy_1962 at 12:59 AM on May 23, 2006

Brassfounder's Ague, Painter's Colic, Grocer's Itch, Galvanizer's Eczema, Barometer Maker's Disease, Potter's Rot, Boilermaker's Deafness, Glassworker's Cataract, and more....
posted by Rumple at 1:05 AM on May 23, 2006

Spinal Tap Drummer's Death?

Seriously though there was that whole 'Mad as a hatter' thing wasn't there
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:18 AM on May 23, 2006

writer's cramp
posted by grouse at 1:38 AM on May 23, 2006

jock itch
athelet's foot
swimmer's hair
swimmer's ear
boxer's ear
boxer's nose
pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome
mother's depression
drinker's nose
plumber's crack
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 1:39 AM on May 23, 2006

planter's warts
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 1:41 AM on May 23, 2006

Legionnaire's Disease
posted by Rumple at 1:43 AM on May 23, 2006

writer's block
writer's cramp
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 1:47 AM on May 23, 2006

speaker's cramp
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 1:50 AM on May 23, 2006

freshman fifteen
sophomore slump
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 2:02 AM on May 23, 2006

Vice President's trigger finger, stripper's asthma, painter's palsy, weaver's bottom, and more.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:21 AM on May 23, 2006

Anatomist's Wart
Prosector's Wart
Baker's Asthma
Bird Fancier's Lung
Brazier’s Disease
Brass Founder's Ague
Bricklayer's Itch
Chauffeurs’ Fracture
Cheese Washer's Lung
Clay-Shoveller’s Fracture
Cotton Weaver’s Bottom
Hatter’s Shakes
All found here.
posted by roofus at 2:43 AM on May 23, 2006

Driver's arm.
posted by Sonny Jim at 3:09 AM on May 23, 2006

Doubleposter's blindness
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 3:18 AM on May 23, 2006

wanker's cramp
posted by the cuban at 3:22 AM on May 23, 2006

Aren't there any Dire Straits fans here? Brewer's droop.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure 'planter's wart' is simply a corruption of plantar wart, like 'old timer's' disease for alzheimer's, so maybe it counts, maybe it doesn't.
posted by kimota at 3:39 AM on May 23, 2006

Sorry, but planter's warts doesn't count. They're called plantar warts.
posted by smich at 3:41 AM on May 23, 2006

jogger's nipple!
posted by cogat at 3:45 AM on May 23, 2006

Missile Toe ;-)


Actually, Trucker's Tan
posted by sandra_s at 3:50 AM on May 23, 2006

plumber's butt
posted by orange swan at 5:01 AM on May 23, 2006

Camel toe?

Buyer's remorse.
posted by emelenjr at 5:06 AM on May 23, 2006

Fiddler's brand: the mark that develops on one's neck from frequent violin practice
posted by nonane at 5:42 AM on May 23, 2006

I'm pretty sure that camels don't suffer from camel toe, and if I'm wrong I do not want to think about it.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:42 AM on May 23, 2006

Manganism is often called welder's disease for the purpose of lawsuits.
posted by nevers at 6:07 AM on May 23, 2006

Turf toe.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:24 AM on May 23, 2006

Blogger's ass.
posted by dong_resin at 6:41 AM on May 23, 2006

I have my ICD-9 manual right here; I work in a lung clinic doing coding and lungs have a lot of these occupational/hobby names. Since you don't want repeats, I'll put the numbers down. This is only a partial list, because that's a big book and I only work with a few parts of it most of the time.

495.0 - Farmers' lung
495.2 - Bird fanciers' lung (Bugerigar fanciers' lung, pigeon fanciers' lung.)
495.3 - Cork handers' lung
495.4 - Malt workers' lung
495.5 - Mushroom workers' lung
495.6 - Maple bark strippers' lung
495.8 ("other specified alergic alveolitis and pneumonitis"): Cheese washers', Coffee workers', Fish-meal workers', Furriers', Grain-handers'.

500 - Coal workers' pneumoconosis (Coal workers' lung, miners' asthma)
504 - Flax-dressers' disease
506.9 - Silo-fillers' disease
Non-lung stuff:
077.1 - Shipyard eye
306.2 - Soldier's heart
333.84 - Organic writers' cramp (not about organic writers, just not psychological.)
423.1 - Soldier's patches
726.32 - tennis or golf elbows
727.2 - miners' elbow or knee
759.89 - Carpernter's syndome
738.3 - Shoemakers' chest
759.89 - Carpernter's syndome
842.12 - Gamekeeper's thumb
posted by cobaltnine at 6:44 AM on May 23, 2006

Physicists hair
posted by ozomatli at 7:09 AM on May 23, 2006

People's Elbow
Presidents Johnson
posted by horsewithnoname at 7:14 AM on May 23, 2006

secretary spread
posted by hydrophonic at 7:15 AM on May 23, 2006

DEAD MAN'S CHEST
posted by lain at 7:29 AM on May 23, 2006

Medical Student Syndrome.
posted by The Bellman at 7:42 AM on May 23, 2006

Mother's Mask (melasma)
posted by acoutu at 8:24 AM on May 23, 2006

Bagpiper's disease
posted by the_bone at 9:25 AM on May 23, 2006

jogger's nipple!

I thought I was the only one!
posted by knave at 10:07 AM on May 23, 2006

dowager's hump
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 10:13 AM on May 23, 2006

violinist's hickey
posted by purplefiber at 10:20 AM on May 23, 2006

Teacher's bladder.
posted by LarryC at 10:22 AM on May 23, 2006

Cyclist's (also runner's) Knee
posted by pdb at 11:14 AM on May 23, 2006

sperm donors carpal tunnel syndrome
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:38 AM on May 23, 2006

witches tit?
posted by cosmicbandito at 11:38 AM on May 23, 2006

Skiers thumb.
posted by Four Flavors at 12:16 PM on May 23, 2006

President's Johnson

And its gynecological counterpart, President's Bush.
posted by Rumple at 12:51 PM on May 23, 2006

Electrician's twitch.
posted by Chuckles at 1:32 PM on May 23, 2006

Booker's Knee.
posted by FlamingBore at 4:17 PM on May 23, 2006

Trench foot? Trench mouth?
posted by Ritchie at 6:34 PM on May 23, 2006

Planter's Nuts?
Smucker's Jam?

;-P
posted by vanoakenfold at 7:18 AM on May 24, 2006

Widow's Peak
Traveler's Diarrhea
Sister's Sledge
posted by horsewithnoname at 7:54 AM on May 24, 2006

baker's itch (from yeast)
guitarists nipple (from the strap)
posted by aninom at 10:46 PM on May 29, 2006