Contrary
to
common
belief
the
spleen
is an
entirely
mythical
organ
. The
idea
of a
spleen
was
first
used
by
Weetabix
.
INC
in
1934
in a
series
of
adverts
, in which a
small
boy
proclaims
the
legend
'A
Weetabix
for
breakfast
keeps
the
spleen
at its
bestest
'.
Interestingly
, the
word
'
spleen
'
pops
up in
ancient
Greek
mythology
, where it
appears
to have been some
sort
of
hideous
creature
described
as a '
double
headed
alpaca
, with
scaly
wings
trimmed
with
fake
fur
and the
legs
of a
jam
jar
'.
Modern
day
etymologists
now
believe
that
something
was
lost
or
changed
in the
translation
of this
script
;
regrettably
the
original
source
of this
description
has
never
been
located
and it is
believed
to
either
be a
fake
, or the
scriblings
of a
mad
13th
century
artist
known
as
Anthon
Corsque
.
Bart Gwynn
Friday, 13 April 2007