W.W When I was a kid, my mom will always say to me, if I had been playing not to go in front of the fridge.."porque te pasmas"
- Thread starter Dominicaus
- Start date
Pasmo, Pasmarse: The DEFINITE answer
Pasmo is also used for tetanus; which does cause the aferementioned described muscular paralysis, and subsequently death in most cases.
I would think that the myth about the change in temperature causing pasmo developed from people who actually contracted tetanus in locations where medical attention was not available, and then had the sudden change in temperature wrongly blamed for it.
I would think that the myth about the change in temperature causing pasmo developed from people who actually contracted tetanus in locations where medical attention was not available, and then had the sudden change in temperature wrongly blamed for it.
I have written on this before, so bear with me here.
This Dominican 'myth' does have some basis in reality. Yes, it does.
See, back in the 1930s they were introducing electricity around the country, and with electricity came appliances--at least among the wealthy. Many of you have seen "Dominican" wiring in they places you live as well as this wiring in places you look at.There is no ground wire in 90% of all buildings!! Three plug sockets but just two wires connected.
So then back to the 1930s. Refrigerators were the rage and many of the wealthy installed them in their kitchens to accompany their "anafes" where the meals were cooked.
Remember the dress of the 1930s? Especially among the servants? Bare feet, long cotton skirts with "puffy" sort of blouses?
This was 'Altagracia' the house maid that did the ironing and washing.
Well, one day the head of the house called to Altagracia, and asked her to bring him a glass of "cold water from the refrigerator."
The good woman, sweaty from her ironing--you can see samples of the old fashioned charcoal irons in Centro Le?n--walked barefoot to the refrigerator, grasped the steel handle, and immediately became the ground for 110 volts. She screamed, entered into a frenzy and probably fainted--she "espasm?"-- as the word goes.
And the word got around, if you are ironing and go to the refrigerator, you will get "espasmos" and have a crooked face for the rest of your life. And that, my friends, is why such a huge percentage of refrigerator handles in the DR have towels wrapped around them!!
Of course it is not the contrast between heat and cold, for God's Sake!! Look at the men and women living in New England--Dominican men and women, not the hearty "Down Easterners"--they have never ever reported a case of "espasmo" as they go from heated apartment to the cold streets of Lawrence, or NYC and then back into the heat of their workplace!!
Naw...this is just the result of new appliances mixed with improper house wiring, mixed with some ignorance and panic.
HB, bringer of truth (as he sees it!)
This Dominican 'myth' does have some basis in reality. Yes, it does.
See, back in the 1930s they were introducing electricity around the country, and with electricity came appliances--at least among the wealthy. Many of you have seen "Dominican" wiring in they places you live as well as this wiring in places you look at.There is no ground wire in 90% of all buildings!! Three plug sockets but just two wires connected.
So then back to the 1930s. Refrigerators were the rage and many of the wealthy installed them in their kitchens to accompany their "anafes" where the meals were cooked.
Remember the dress of the 1930s? Especially among the servants? Bare feet, long cotton skirts with "puffy" sort of blouses?
This was 'Altagracia' the house maid that did the ironing and washing.
Well, one day the head of the house called to Altagracia, and asked her to bring him a glass of "cold water from the refrigerator."
The good woman, sweaty from her ironing--you can see samples of the old fashioned charcoal irons in Centro Le?n--walked barefoot to the refrigerator, grasped the steel handle, and immediately became the ground for 110 volts. She screamed, entered into a frenzy and probably fainted--she "espasm?"-- as the word goes.
And the word got around, if you are ironing and go to the refrigerator, you will get "espasmos" and have a crooked face for the rest of your life. And that, my friends, is why such a huge percentage of refrigerator handles in the DR have towels wrapped around them!!
Of course it is not the contrast between heat and cold, for God's Sake!! Look at the men and women living in New England--Dominican men and women, not the hearty "Down Easterners"--they have never ever reported a case of "espasmo" as they go from heated apartment to the cold streets of Lawrence, or NYC and then back into the heat of their workplace!!
Naw...this is just the result of new appliances mixed with improper house wiring, mixed with some ignorance and panic.
HB, bringer of truth (as he sees it!)
Fascinating, I believe it.
But even if its not true, what great fodder for cocktail chatter !!
I will try to remember to credit you for my great storytelling, HB.... I promise, I'll try
But even if its not true, what great fodder for cocktail chatter !!
I will try to remember to credit you for my great storytelling, HB.... I promise, I'll try
Well, as I wrote in the original post..
I've seen it with my own two eyes.. pasmo is a true condition, luckily it is also reversible most of the time
I've seen it with my own two eyes.. pasmo is a true condition, luckily it is also reversible most of the time
Sorry, but NO!!!
As indicated in the OP, pasmo, pasmarse has NOTHING TO DO with the DR...It is a word in the RALE 'official' dictionary used around the Spanish-speaking world...That was the main point of the OP....Whatever gave rise to it, it has probably something to do with SPAIN, where the world originated.
And according to the RALE dictionary, it DOES have some medical basis.
HB isn't talking etymology.... he's talking about the origin of the myth, and how it has become incorporated into RD lore.
The root of the word originated outside of RD, that is a given.
The root of the word originated outside of RD, that is a given.