I love so many disease names. I’m very interested in medical things in general. “Trauma: Life in the ER” is a great show. Definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster.
Scurvy: a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C and characterized by spongy gums, loosening of the teeth, and a bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes
It makes me feel like a pirate when I get a chance to say it.
Example: It looks like Austin has a bad case of scurvy.
Narcolepsy: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations
I also like “narcoleptic.”
Example: The professor worried that Daniel had narcolepsy.
Scabies: contagious itch or mange especially with exudative crusts that is caused by parasitic mites (especially Sarcoptes scabiei)
You don’t really hear about cases of scabies very much. That’s too bad. I really like the word.
Example: Charlotte woke up the next day with a hangover, scabies, and a guy named Nate.
Rabies: an acute virus of the nervous system of mammals that is caused by a rhabdovirus (species Rabies virus of the genus Lyssavirus) usually transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal and that is characterized typically by increased salivation, abnormal behavior, and eventual paralysis and death when untreated
Similar to scabies in that I really like the sound of the word. I also like “rabid.”
Example: “Now I’ll get rabies!” Jenny screamed after she was attacked by a rabid weasel.
Chickenpox: an acute contagious disease, especially of children, marked by low-grade fever and formation of vesicles and caused by a herpesvirus
It has nothing to do with chickens. The virus hangs out and can later cause shingles.
Example: Becca was convinced her daughter had chickenpox.
Leprosy: a chronic infectious disease caused by a mycobacterium affecting especially the skin and peripheral nerves and characterized by the formation of nodules or macules that enlarge and spread accompanied by loss of sensation with eventual paralysis, wasting of muscle, and production of deformities
You just don’t hear much about leprosy anymore. I also love the word “leper.”
Example: Kristine felt like a leper as she endured the bachelorette party at Deja Groove.
Gingivitis: inflammation of the gums
It’s just a fancy way of saying, “Yuck! You need to brush your teeth more often!”
Example: As soon as he opened his mouth and Elisa noticed his acute gingivitis, the blind date was over.
Halitosis: a condition of having fetid breath
If I like “gingivitis,” you know “halitosis” can’t be far behind. I also like “fetid.”
Example: Andrea could smell Elisa’s date’s halitosis before he even spoke.
Angina: a disease marked by spasmodic attacks of intense suffocative pain
It sounds a bit saucy, but it is not.
Example: Cameron claimed she had an angina attack to get out of the ad workshop.
Fasciitis: inflammation of a fascia (as from infection or injury)
It is just fun to say (though clearly not to have).
Example: Eddie had to wear a special boot to cure his plantar fasciitis.
As a side note, my favorite drug name is Boniva
(for osteoporosis).
Observe and report 