Diseases Named After the Saints.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 14 January 1916, Page 3

Diseases Named After the Saints.

About forty disense have the names of saints attached to them; a most varied group of holy men and women from Saint Agatha to Saint Zachary. Judging by this, one would think the medical profession to be a very religious lot. Whoever wished to immortalise the names of the saints by giving them a place in the medical dictionary certainly choose a disagreeable selection of disease for the saints. There is Saint Fiacre’s disease, piles ; Saint Avertin’s disease, or epilepsy; Saint Gete’s disease, or leprosy ; Saint Dymphna’s disease or insanity ; Saint Giles’ disease, or cancer; Saint Job’s disease or syphillis ; Saint Main’s evil, or itch; Saint Roch’s didisease, or bubo ; Saint Martin’s evil, or drunkenness ; Saint Lazarus disease, or hog measles (also leprosy); Saint Sement’s disease, or lues. It would have shown much better taste, to say nothing of respect, to use the names of the saints only inconnection with diseases of polite society, such as gall-stones, neuraasthenia, amenorrhea and corns. Chosea appears to be a favourite among the saints; not only is it referred to as Saint Vitus’ dance, but also as Saint Guy’s dance, Saint Anthony’s dance, and Saint Modestus’ disease. Many of these dance diseases which spread in epidemic form over Europe at certain periods in its history, and which some .thought were due to the bite of‘,a tarantula, were merely mild forms of the Saint Ragtimetic, which now has England and America in its bear-like clutches.