Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Scrofula
(983 words)

1. Definition and medieval background

The word scrofula (from Latin struma, “swollen glands,” Late Latin strumae, scrofulae, “swelling of the neck”) denotes an inflammatory ailment of the lymph glands, especially in the region of the neck. It is a special form of tuberculosis, often accompanied by swollen and festering sores on the face. In the first centuries of the early modern period, diseases with similar symptons but different …

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Asch, Ronald G., “Scrofula”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 10 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_027599>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210601



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