Sphincter Preservation: Turns Out You Can Get A University Degree In This — And It’s Actually Important


Of all the odd and even bizarre topics that college kids can study, perhaps one of the oddest — something called “sphincter preservation” — suddenly became an internet sensation on Monday, when a contestant on the British game show University Challenge announced that she was studying for a medical degree — with a specialty in, well, exactly that.

Whether it was the jarring juxtaposition of the words “preservation” and “sphincter,” or just the giggle-inducing mention of the word “sphincter” on its own, the head-turning moment ignited an outburst of mockery on Twitter.

Here, in one Twitter post, is the actual moment when Kate Lynes, a medical student at Queen Mary University of London, gave her introduction as a member of the four-member QMUL team.

For those unable to see the tweet, or play the embedded media clip, Lynes introduced herself by saying, “My name is Kate Lynes, I’m from Nottingham, and I’m studying for an MD in sphincter preservation.” And for those perhaps unfamiliar with the term, here is how the Medical Dictionary defines “sphincter.”

“A circular muscle that constricts a passage or closes a natural orifice. When relaxed, a sphincter allows materials to pass through the opening. When contracted, it closes the opening. Four main sphincter muscles along the alimentary canal aid in digestion: the cardiac sphincter, the pyloric sphincter, and two anal sphincters.”

As it turns out, the medical field of sphincter preservation is actually quite a serious one, directly affecting the quality of life of patients with rectal cancer. “When bowel cancer occurs within the bowel, the surgeon must remove a piece of bowel long enough to be completely clear of the cancer, and take enough ‘normal’ bowel either side of the cancer to ensure it has been completely removed,” medical expert Dr. Helen Webberley, told The Huffington Post UK.

“Once this has been removed then the bowel may be stitched back together straight away, or sometimes, the bowel is brought out on to the front of the abdomen as a temporary colostomy, and then closed up later.”

Advanced techniques in sphincter preservation allow rectal cancer patients to retain normal bowel functions, without the requirement of a colostomy bag. Despite the fact that sphincter preservation is actually a valuable and sophisticated medical technique, Twitter users who happened to be viewing the broadcast of University Challenge could barely contain themselves.

And so on.

Finally, Queen Mary University itself, through its official Twitter account, had to tell the sphincter-obsessed Twitter users to zip it.

Lynes herself seemed to take the reaction in stride — and was more interested in discussing her participation in a rare, all-female University Challenge team.

Kate Lynes, student of sphincter preservation, on University Challenge
Kate Lynes, student of sphincter preservation, on University Challenge

“Taking part in University Challenge has been amazing, it has always been my favorite TV program,” she said, in prepared statement responding to the online outburst. “Being part of all girl team from QMUL felt like a great achievement and we all really enjoyed it.”

She went on to describe the Twitter “sphincter preservation” trend as “amusing” but also “intense” and “slightly overwhelming.” But in the end, she expressed gratitude that the “important subject” was now receiving the media attention that it merited, as a significant advance in medical science.

The “sphincter preservation” moment was actually the second time in the past few weeks that the University Challenge show — an “academic quiz show” that features university students answering increasingly difficult questions on a wide range of topics — has caused a Twitter outburst. Earlier, a King’s College student, Kamil Shah, appeared on the show shirtless except for a leather vest, with a gold chain dangling into his chest hair.

But Shah could not match the educational value of informing an entire nation about the burgeoning medical field of sphincter preservation.

[Images: BBC 2 Screen Captures]

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