The Straight Dope 10/03/2003

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 10/03/2003

Dear Cecil:

My wife and I are having a disagreement on whether multiple
personality disorder is real or not. She works in a substance
abuse clinic and says she sees people with this disorder
quite often. I on the other hand feel that multiple
personality disorder is a crock of dung. I have looked this
up on the Internet, and views seem to be split fifty-fifty.
What do you think--does this disorder exist?
--Mark, via the Internet

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Cecil replies:

Your columnist doubts it. Your columnist doubts everything.
But in this case he's got a lot of company. Multiple 
personality disorder, now officially known as dissociative
identity disorder (DID), remains the object of bitter
controversy. One thing's clear, though--it's not nearly as
common as people thought just a few years ago.

Possible cases of split personality have been reported in the
medical literature since the early 19th century, and the
condition was formally defined in the first years of the
20th. But until recently it was considered extremely rare--
fewer than 200 cases were described before 1980. The
diagnosis became much more common in the 80s for several
reasons. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/031003.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

Why does my computer keyboard have this "Scroll Lock" key
that seems to serve no purpose whatsoever? In 15 years I
don't remember ever pushing that button. I'm almost scared
to touch it! --Insanegrey, Lawrence, KS

Guest contributor Una Persson replies:

Although your mother told you that there are many things to
avoid touching (like downed electric lines, scorpions, and
the "naughty place"), don't be afraid to touch the Scroll
Lock key. Nothing bad will happen--in fact, probably nothing
at all will happen. Once upon a time, however, something did.

The Scroll Lock key on IBM PC-compatible computer keyboards
first appeared on the keyboard of the IBM 3270, which is
sometimes thought of as a combination mainframe terminal 
and personal computer. The 3270 featured not only Scroll
Lock but also other familiar but seemingly nonfunctional
keys such as SysRq, Pause, and Break, which will be
discussed later. When the IBM PC was created, its keyboard
was modeled after that of the IBM 3270, although some 3270
keys such as Transmit, Dup, and Field Mark were left behind.
Scroll Lock appeared on the 84-key keyboard of the IBM XT,
successor to the original PC; was carried through to the
84-key AT keyboard; and remains on the 101-key and greater 
"enhanced" keyboards currently in use. The Scroll Lock key
was not present on the original Macintosh keyboards but
appears on Macintoshes with an "enhanced" keyboard.

The original intent of the Scroll Lock key was . . .

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mscrolllock.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 07/03/1981

Dear Cecil: 

Tell me, Cecil--what are the hazards of disease which may
be transmitted by towel litter against which we are warned
by the labels on hot-air hand dryers?
--Hypochondriac, Washington, D.C.  

Dear Hypochondriac:

The chief maladies prevented by the use of hot-air hand 
dryers are poverty and unemployment among the owners
and employees of the World Dryer Corporation, which,
incidentally, no longer adorns its product with the
famous piece of literature to which you refer.  

It seems that the references to disease and medical tests
in that familiar ditty ("For your well being ... we have
installed electric hand dryers," etc.) were inspired by
a Public Health Service study done in 1953 by one Paul E. 
Walker, MD, whose purpose was to determine whether hot-air
drying could reduce bacterial contamination on the hands and
forearms of surgeons and other operating room personnel after
their usual antiseptic scrubbing procedure.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_279.html
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