BELL RINGERS BRUISES AND BROKEN BONES - CAPERS AND CRISES IN CAMPANOLOGY

Objective - To determine the incidence, aetiology, and outcome of injuries due to bell ringing. Design - Retrospective review of the last six years' issues of Ringing World, advertisement in Ringing World, and a postal questionnaire sent to 20 active ringing towers. Subjects - Regular bell ringers. Results - Seventy nine injuries were identified both from review and by advertisement in Ringing World. The incidence of injury among 221 ringers identified by postal questionnaire was 1.8% a year. Conclusion - Although sonerous, bell ringing can be dangerous and occasionally even fatal. Doctors should be aware of the dangers to which campanologists expose themselves.