

The Itch (2008) - benbreen
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/the-itch?currentPage=all

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girvo
_> Aquagenic pruritus is recurrent, intense, diffuse itching upon getting out
of a bath or shower, and although no one knows the mechanism, it’s a symptom
of polycythemia vera, a rare condition in which the body produces too many red
blood cells._

Oh wow, so that's what that is. I get that. I always assumed that was typical;
it's a pretty horrid sensation, it's like my eczema crossed with pins and
needles, and it happens when I get in or out of a shower or bath, especially
quite hot ones (but even just warm can do it).

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thomk
I had to stop reading this article because it was making me itch all over.

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mattei
Likewise. Fascinating and amazing.

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alexbecker
Oh man, I remember reading this right after it was published.

How such a mundane thing as an itch can completely wreck your life and your
body -- I still count it as one of the scariest things I've ever read.

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zaksoup
There was another New Yorker story about a man (or multiple people) with some
disorder that caused them to be massive assholes to everybody as well as try
to harm themselves despite not wanting to. I remember one guy carried around a
little business card that explained it and it described another person who
would "accidentally" say "eat shit and die" as a greeting. It was around the
same time period. Anybody here remember it and can link it? I've been looking
for years.

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anilgulecha
I think the disease is Tourette's Syndrome. That could help with the search
for the article.

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talles
South Park did an episode on that:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Tourette](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Tourette)

Cartman fakes to have tourette so he can be asshole to everyone

