[skrof-yuh-luh] 
| primary tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, esp. those of the neck. |
| scrof·u·la (skrŏf'yə-lə) n. A form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes, especially of the neck, that is most common in children and is usually spread by unpasteurized milk from infected cows. Also called struma. [Middle English scrophula, from Late Latin scrōfulae, swelling of the glands, diminutive of Latin scrōfa, sow; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
scrofula scrof·u·la (skrŏf'yə-lə)
n.
A form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes, especially of the neck, that is most common in children and is usually spread by unpasteurized milk from infected cows. Also called struma.
scrofula
formerly tuberculosis, the terms "scrofulous," "strumous," and "tuberculous" being nearly interchangeable in the past, before the real nature of the disease was understood. The particular characteristics associated with scrofula have varied at different periods, but essentially what was meant was tuberculosis of the bones and lymphatic glands, especially in children. It is in this sense that the word survives. The old English popular name was "king's evil," so called from the belief that the sovereign's touch could effect a cure. See also tuberculosis.
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