/oss/taxonomy/term/591/all en /oss/article/health-history/kiss-death-almost <p>An Italian lady showed up at a clinic complaining of generalized itching and swelling of her lips about 30 minutes after making love with her husband. The reaction disappeared after treatment with cetirizine (Reactine). Tests showed that she had no food allergies. Doctors finally traced the symptoms to kissing her husband during lovemaking! Actually, the problem wasn't the kissing, one would assume that this activity occurred on numerous occasions without triggering the symptoms. This time though the husband had taken an antibiotic, bacampicillin, about two hours earlier.</p> Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:11:04 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8797 at /oss /oss/article/news/pucker <p>And just when I was getting used to being single in the summer. July 6th rolls around; International Kissing Day. It’s like a second Valentine’s Day but less sweet. I mean really, no chocolate? But then I think. Sure dedicating an entire day to acknowledge one single pucker of the lips may seem slightly over-the-top, yet there truly is no other display of emotion in which everyone can relate.</p> Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:52:14 +0000 Emily Shore, B.A, Dipl. PR Management 1715 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-you-asked/why-do-we-kiss <p>What makes us exchange saliva, sebum, bits of food and millions of bacteria with each other? In other words, why do we kiss? This is not an innate activity. South Pacific islanders, for example, were great lovers before the Europeans arrived but never kissed. Even in Europe kissing was sometimes frowned upon. In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church decreed that kissing with the intent to fornicate was a mortal sin! But actually a kiss may be a scientific prelude to such activity. Studies have shown that women subconsciously prefer the smell of men who have different immune system proteins th</p> Thu, 23 Feb 2017 03:21:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1524 at /oss