[Dixielandjazz] blown chops

[drjz]

What I believe you had, Jim, is a paralysis of the facial (7th cranial)
nerve which does pass close to the inner ear. It is known as "Bell's
Palsy", after the Scottish doctor who first described it in 1821. As you
say, this affects the whole side of the face. For only the embouchure to
be affected would require a much more localized affliction, which is
unlikely. This also applies to a stroke.
There is a condition known as "Satchmo's Syndrome", in which the
circular muscle that contracts when puckering the lips is ruptured. I
think you are correct, Charlie, in describing the muscle strain, i.e a
weakening, or partial rupture, of this muscle. This could have produced
a slackness that prevented the lips maintaining perfect contact with the
mouthpiece.
Louis Armstrong refused surgical repair and had his own drastic
treatment. A doctor treated Randy Brooks with "lunar caustic"(silver
nitrate),which formed an unscientific chemical scar.Don't try this!
For anyone who is interested, the medical term is "Rupture of the
Orbicularis Oris Muscle", derived from two Latin words, "orbis" a circle
(e.g. the orbit of a planet) and os/oris, a mouth (e.g. oral hygiene),
hence the "muscle that circles the mouth". More on this is contained in
a letter of mine entitled "Randy Brooks and Satchmo's Syndrome",
published in the IAJRC (International Association of Jazz Record
Collectors)Journal, Vol. 34, No. 4, Fall 2001.
I must emphasize that any retrospective diagnosis is really an educated
guess, and I would welcome comments. Regards.
Fred

> >The right side of his mouth was effectively paralyzed.
>
> Could've been a pinched nerve, also.  Happened to me years ago, where a
> nerve passes near the ear.  One side of my face was frozen....one sided
> smile only, eye would only blink on one side, etc.  Nasty!  Lasted for
> the complete summer.  Downright bad for gigs!
>
> Jim
>
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