Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 9, 1993 TAG: 9303090256
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CAROLYN CLICK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
UVA RESEARCHER NOT MAKING IT UP
When humor columnist Dave Barry took a pot(ty)shot at a University of Virginia research project on children's constipation, Professor Daniel Cox knew laughter was his best defense.After all, before there was Dave Barry and constipation, there was Johnny Carson and the rock 'n' roll rats.
"That was our research, too," said a slightly sheepish Cox.
But that's getting ahead of the story.
Cox and his $1.2 million research project became, to excuse the expression, the butt of Barry's Sunday syndicated column thanks to some faithful readers who know that the Miami Herald writer loves nothing better than poking fun at pricey government research projects. The popular Barry is also not above a little bathroom humor.
But Cox and his two colleagues say the study, which involves the use of video games to help children with bowel problems learn to control their anal sphincter, is very serious.
"Imagine a 13-year-old girl who once or twice a day defecates in her pants completely out of control," said Cox, the director of UVa's Behavioral Medical Center. Children who lose bowel control are often subjected to teasing and taunting by schoolmates.
Through use of electrodes attached to the anal opening and to a computer, the children play games that reward them for learning to relax and tighten their anal muscles. Cox hopes such therapies will improve on standard medical care that includes laxatives and enemas.
Cox, who is conducting the research with Dr. James Sutphen and Dr. Stephen Borowitz, said Barry also was mistaken about the cost of the project.
Although the National Institutes of Health awarded the university $1.2 million, his research will actually cost about $600,000.
Cox isn't a regular reader of Barry, but he was watching Johnny Carson several years ago when the late-night comedian brought up another UVa study involving stress and noise on rats.
Cox happened to be using rock 'n' roll music as part of his investigation into whether such factors contribute to the onset of diabetes, a scenario that Carson couldn't resist.
As Carson told it, by the end of the project, two rats had gone deaf, one had committed suicide and the fourth one was standing in line for tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert.
This time, at least, Cox's 15 minutes of fame is spread across most of the nation's newspapers.
"I'll clip it out and send it to my mom," he said.