Is the Hanes whistle-smile test a load of codswallop?
Perhaps I should elaborate. The Hanes whistle-smile test is a test performed during a neurological examination of the cranial nerves, specifically of the seventh, the facial nerve. The test claims that when one is asked to whistle, the patient will instead smile. If the patient does not, it is a sign that he/she has Parkinson’s. Basically, I read this earlier today and I think this is a load of codswallop. Surely whether one smiles or not is dependent upon the cultural/psychological/temporal circumstances of the patient in question. Sure, Parkinson’s may be a cause of emotional paresis of the facial muscles (and hence failure to smile when asked to whistle) but it can never be taken as a ‘common’ sign of it. I just cannot believe the medical textbooks still use this kind of (apparent) codswallop.
