A New York physician is laying many of these questions to rest with his new book, "Why do Men Have Nipples?"
Billy Goldberg says his idea for the book came about after being pestered by strange questions at cocktail parties and social gatherings over the years.
The book, subtitled, "Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini," sets out to put to rest many of these age-old questions.
For example, Goldberg says when the body gets too cold, the brain's hypothalamus alerts the rest of the body to begin warming up. Shivering, rapid muscle movement that generates heat, then begins to occur; chattering teeth is a form of localized shivering.
During research for the book, Goldberg and co-author/humorist Mark Leyner discovered an office setting may actually prove more infectious than toilet seats.
Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found the typical office desk may contain 400 times more disease-causing bacteria than an average toilet seat.
The book also puts to rest another popular myth. When someone is bitten by a poisonous snake, sucking on the bite, a popular remedy in TV and movies, proves not only ineffective, but may cause an infection.
Goldberg says the bite should instead be washed with soap and water and immobilized; the bitten area should be kept lower than the heart and medical help should be sought immediately.
