Last of the red-hot lovers?

I had to laugh at this report from the field of medicine.

About 40 percent of men between the ages of 40 and 70 have some level of erectile dysfunction and about a third of them don't respond to drugs like Viagra.

. . .

The current gold standard is an inflatable pump, but the surgery to implant it can be tricky, involving a reservoir of water and a pump. It can be awkward to use and have complications. A simpler solution is a malleable device, more popular in developing countries because the operation is simple and cheaper. The downside is a permanently erect penis and potential tissue damage.

Le's solution is a heat-activated exoskeleton of nitinol, a metal known for its superelastic properties and already in use in medical devices used for endovascular surgery.

In this case, the urologist could do a simplified operation to insert the nitinol implant, which remains flaccid at body temperature but can "remember" an expanded shape and return to that shape when heated. Le and collaborators at Southern Illinois University are currently working on a remote-control device that can be waved over the penis, using induction to heat the NiTi a few degrees above body temperature and ratcheting open the alloy prosthesis to expand the penis in length and girth.

There's more at the link.

The possibilities are endless . . .

• Don't stand too near a bonfire or camp fire, for fear of a reaction that might be difficult to explain (particularly if everyone around the camp fire is male).
• If you lose the remote control device, would a cigarette lighter help?
• If your partner is frigid, would that negate the device entirely?
• "There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight" just took on an entirely new meaning!

I can foresee hours of potential comic relief out of this . . .




Peter