caning led to koro?

"koro is also thought to be transmitted through food. in 1967, there was a koro epidemic in singapore after newspapers reported cases of koro due to eating pork which came from a pig that had been inoculated against swine fever. not only did pork sales go down, but hundreds of koro cases followed. the power of the press to cause panic was matched by their equal power to quell the imbalance they had caused. they gave ample access to the singapore medical association and ministry of health who convinced the people that koro was a result of fear, thus ending the epidemic."

the eating pork theory did not hold water because a small number of malays and those belonging to other races were also hit by the epidemic. it was the fear that gripped a lot of men, especially those who were not very well-endowed. already they did not have something that they could crow about and if that should retract, then what would be left.

there was an incident which happened many years after the epidemic had passed which reinforced my belief that koro did not afflict the chinese exclusively. this malay boy was punished by the discipline master for some serious breach of the school discipline. he was caned on the buttocks. the discipline teacher, though small in physical stature, wielded the cane powerfully.

sometime after the pain was inflicted, the boy reported to his parents that his organ appeared to be shrinking. he was taken to a doctor for a proper examination. the doctor suspected that it was koro. thankfully, the boy recovered and everything returned to normal.