The kiss of deaf - Chinese girl loses hearing after kiss ruptures her eardrum
A young woman from Zhuhai, southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss.
In what has been dubbed the 'kiss of deaf', the 20-something woman went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear.
'The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear,' a medic called Dr Li told state newspaper The China Daily.
The doctor said the woman, from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, would most likely hear properly again after about two months.
The incident prompted newspapers to dispense kissing safety advice, with China Daily stating today: 'While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution.'
'A strong kiss may cause an imbalance in air pressure between the two inner ears and lead to a broken ear drum,' said the English-language Shanghai Daily.
