# Dropsey, Quinsey, The Clap, Consumption

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 31, 2000, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562 "2000-03-31T03:49:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/21 "2000-03-31T19:56:00Z")

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Oooh, I was wrong about some of these. I thought St. Vitus’ Dance was Tourette’s Syndrome, and I thought The Clap was Chlamydia. What’s the term for Lorenzo’s disease (the one featured in _Lorenzo’s Oil_)?

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/22 "2000-03-31T21:42:00Z")

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The “old man’s friend” is pneumonia. When someone (a proverbial old man) is terminally ill, waiting in bed, possibly suffering, his “friend” (pneumonia) will carry him off to a better place.

Lorenzo’s oil (which has never been shown to be of benefit in a rigorous study) was used to treat adrenoleukodystrophy. That name is actually somewhat of a short-form. The proper term for the disease is _adrenomyeloleukodystropy_. Try dropping that into a conversation.

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**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/23 "2000-03-31T22:46:00Z")

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Pneumonia is correct, althought C Zeta-Jones had me ROTFLMAO, before antibiotics pneumonia killed a lot of people who were older and weaker, presumably sparing them from worse or more painful deaths.  
Sir William Osler, an early microbiologist named Spretococcus Pnuemoniae “the captain of the little men of death” for it’s lethality

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**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/24 "2000-03-31T22:51:00Z")

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'course that should be streptococcus  
read twice, post once

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**Author:** ![SouthernXYL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@SouthernXYL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouthernXYL)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/25 "2000-04-01T13:22:00Z")

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Know what dipsomania is?

And I thought St. Vitus’s dance was Huntingdon’s chorea.

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/26 "2000-04-01T13:41:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Know what dipsomania is?

Alcoholism.

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**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/27 "2000-04-01T14:06:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Originally posted by lvick:  
> **What condition was known as “the old man’s friend,” and why?**

Priapism, for obvious reasons. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Holly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/48db29/32.png) [@Holly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Holly)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/28 "2000-04-01T15:17:00Z")

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Har!

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**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropsey-quinsey-the-clap-consumption/9562/29 "2000-04-01T16:40:00Z")

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no so rysdad, priapism is NOT a pleasant experience

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