Editing Michael Atherton (section)

==Health==

Atherton has no [[Sense of smell|sense of smell]], something his family first noticed when he was 6 or 7.  He has no memory of ever having this sense, but did not think about this until the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], when there was much discussion of sufferers losing their sense of smell, and he wondered what he was missing.  He thinks this may affect his taste, but takes the view that if one is going to lose one sense, smell is the one to lose.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tanya |last=Aldred | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/19/atherton-katich-thrived-without-all-senses-intact-cricket-the-spin |title = Off the scent |date = 19 March 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Atherton suffers from the degenerative condition [[ankylosing spondylitis]], which meant he could not duck under bouncers, but had to stand tall and sway out of the way. Allan Donald used this against him by bowling short.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2166812.stm | title = Probe into arthritis pain | date = 24 August 2002 | access-date =7 August 2008 |work=BBC News }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Nick Gough|title=Puzzling Out General Medicine, Part 2|access-date=18 December 2011|year=2005|publisher=Remedica|isbn=1-901346-87-0|page=60|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njbWZXMo3OYC&q=Mike+Atherton+Ankylosing+spondylitis&pg=PA60}}</ref>