I’m 31 years old, and on my baby immunization chart I recall seeing a “rubella” shot noted…isn’t that related to the mumps? Or am I nuts? And when did they stop immunizing for polio? Isn’t that the shot that left a scar on your arm? (Note–this is a minor hijack related to the OP, NOT a question about whether or not immunizations are good or bad!)
And I’ve heard gout mentioned in modern terms; I wasn’t aware it was an obsolete term. Even though I don’t really know what it is, other than references in old books that mention people who are prone to gout shouldn’t eat certain heavy foods…
measles/mumps/rubella is a standard combination vaccine.
They still give polio vaccines, we have a ways to go before we match the success of small pox, that’s the one that leaves a scar and has been stopped. According to wiki, at least 300 million people died of small pox in the 20th century alone before it was wiped out.
Gout is not an obsolete term.
Scrofula is what my mom calls any kind of dermatitis (knowing its wrong, she just likes the sound of it)
After reading the whole thread I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned the rheumatism. When she was disgnosed with Type 2 Diabetes my great aunt (b. 1914) reported that she had “a touch of the sugar”
From old medicine ads I am aware that people used to suffer from “liver complaint”. My great grandmother (b.1887) was diagnosed as a young girl with “Bright’s Disease”. I understand that the same exact condition now would be called “kidney disease”, boring.
Makes ya wonder why Mr. Brady got singled out. Maybe he didn’t pay his doctor bills.
While I was typing it occured to me that people my age used to have “swolen glands” as an excuse in their absence notes. My mom used to feel around my jaw to check my glands (if I had a cold, not random gland check). I’ve never done this to my son and have no idea what I’d be looking for anyway.
Something was going around back in 1997 or so called “The Macarena”. It swept across the country and infected many millions of people. May God have mercy on their souls.
Sufferers of Angelman Syndrome exhibit hand-flapping, smiling, laughing, and a happy demeanor. For this reason, it used to be known as Happy Puppet Syndrome.
When I was interested in ragtime piano, I read a lot of material about Scott Joplin and other composers of the era, many of whom made the rounds of the bordellos when they were young, and contracted syphilis in the process. Later in life, this could manifest itself as horrific physical and mental degeneration which they sometimes called the “rales”.
James Lileks, in his marvelous website–the absolute, premier online source for fondly ironic nostalgia, bar none–suggests the grimes, as a name for how you feel after a long day on the road.
“Yee-up, been driving from Port Arthur since 5am and I sure got me the grimes!”
“The disease is also known in Australia and New Zealand, but all Americans seem to be inoculated against it at birth, since it’s virtually unknown to them (but then, they have cooties instead).”
Sounds like the 17th-century version of “heroin chic”.
I have a friend who has gout. It’s not fun. It’s inflammation of the joints caused by a buildup of uric acid ion the blood. Yes, he overate at the time…
I always used to confuse gout with goitre, which is a swollen thyroid gland.
