Scrofula
WordNet
noun
(1) A form of tuberculosis characterized by swellings of the lymphatic glands
WiktionaryText
Etymology
diminutive of scrofa: a breeding sow, because swine were supposed to be subject to the complaint; or by fanciful comparison of the glandular swellings to little pigs.
Noun
- A form tuberculosis, most common in children, spread by unpasteurized milk from affected cattle. it is manifested by chronic enlargement and cheesy degeneration of the lymph glands, particularly those of the neck, and marked by the tendency to the development of chronic and intractable inflammations of the skin. Treatment is with antibiotics and surgery.
- 1970: R.H.C. Davis A History of Medieval Europe Longman: SBN 582482089. P298. "(In 1100) It (The Church) relied on the king (of France) for protection and in return gave him authority. It even ..gave support for the claim that by his royal touch, he could miraculously cure the scrofula. (A similar claim was made for the kings of England, and was exercised till the reign of Queen Anne; one of the last people to be cured in that way being Dr. Johnson.)