History of Chickenpox
In the medieval era, the word “pox” meant curse. This caused the belief that chickenpox was a plague brought upon cursed children by the use of black magic. Presently, there are many diverse claims for who was the first person to actually have generated the original description of chickenpox; however, in a medical history book, it claims that Giovanni Filippo of Italy was the original physician to describe this disease, between the dates of 1510 and 1580. Consequently, Richard Morton who was an English physician believed that chickenpox was a mild form of the disease, smallpox, in 1600. Williann Heberden proved this theory wrong in 1767 when Williann clearly demonstrated that chickenpox was different from smallpox.
Origin of the name, Chickenpox:
- Related to the corrupted Old English word, “giccin”, which meant, “itching”.
- Was described as “no very great danger” thus a “chicken” version of the pox. This description was by Samuel Johnson.
- Named after chickpeas because of the similarities in size.
- Appeared as though a “chicken” picked the area of infected skin.
Some believe that doctors identifying this disease commonly used the word “chicken pox” in earlier centuries.
Chicken Pox
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