how did chickenpox get its name?
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Chickenpox
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV).[3] The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually scab over.[1] It usually starts on the chest, back, and face.[1] It then spreads to the rest of the body.[1] The rash and other symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, and headaches, usually last five to seven days.[1] Complications may occasionally include pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, and bacterial skin infections.[7] The disease is usually more severe in adults than in children.[8]
Chickenpox is an airborne disease which spreads easily from one person to the next through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.[5] The incubation period is 10 to 21 days, after which the characteristic rash appears.[2] It may be spread from one to two days before the rash appears until all lesions have crusted over.[5] It may also spread through contact with the blisters.[5]
PCR
Those with shingles may spread chickenpox to those who are not immune through contact with the blisters.[5] The disease can usually be diagnosed based on the presenting symptom;[9] however, in unusual cases it may be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of the blister fluid or scabs.[8] Testing for antibodies may be done to determine if a person is immune.[8] People usually only get chickenpox once.[5] Although reinfections by the virus occur, these reinfections usually do not cause any symptoms.[10]
Since its introduction in 1995, the varicella vaccine has resulted in a decrease in the number of cases and complications from the disease.[4] It protects about 70 to 90 percent of people from disease with a greater benefit for severe disease.[8] Routine immunization of children is recommended in many countries.[11] Immunization within three days of exposure may improve outcomes in children.[12]
Treatment of those infected may include calamine lotion to help with itching, keeping the fingernails short to decrease injury from scratching, and the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to help with fevers.[5] For those at increased risk of complications, antiviral medication such as aciclovir are recommended.[5]
from 8,900 in 1990
Chickenpox occurs in all parts of the world.[8] In 2013 there were 140 million cases of chickenpox and shingles worldwide.[13] Before routine immunization the number of cases occurring each year was similar to the number of people born.[8] Since immunization the number of infections in the United States has decreased nearly 90%.[8] In 2015 chickenpox resulted in 6,400 deaths globally – down from 8,900 in 1990.[6][14]
Death occurs in about 1 per 60,000 cases.[8] Chickenpox was not separated from smallpox until the late 19th century.[8] In 1888 its connection to shingles was determined.[8] The first documented use of the term chicken pox was in 1658.[15] Various explanations have been suggested for the use of “chicken” in the name, one being the relative mildness of the disease.[15]
The name chickenpox has been around for centuries, and there are a number of theories as to how it got its name. One is that it’s from the blisters that are seen with the illness. These red spots — which are about 1/5 inch to 2/5 inch (5mm to 10mm) wide — were once thought to look like chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
May 1995
Another theory is that the rash of chickenpox looks like the peck marks caused by a chicken. But, in case you were wondering, chickenpox can’t be caught from a chicken!
The name, “Chicken Pox” is vernacular for the Varicella Zoster Virus. While it has a name that evokes cuteness and is even silly, it is a disease that can, though rarely, claim the life of a child. Prior to the May 1995 introduction of the Varicella vaccine, over four million people would suffer from the Chicken Pox every year- approximately 100 would die.
The first documentation of the virus is credited to the Italian, Giovanni Filippo (1510-1580) of Palermo. Of course, then, it wasn’t called Chicken Pox. It was named as the “Varicella Virus”. Chicken Pox is a strictly English language term for this virus. The French call it Varicelle. The Spanish call the virus Varicela. Only the Germans call Chicken Pox by anything even remotely similar. They call them “Windpocken”.
300-500 million
So, back to the topic at hand, why IS it called “Chicken Pox”? Well, there are many theories, as there usually are to “street names” of things. In the 1600s the Englishman, Dr. Richard Morton, misdiagnosed the disease as a milder form of Small Pox. Small Pox, though now eradicated through vaccination, was a fatal disease that killed approximately 300-500 million people during the 20th century alone, and wasn’t any less deadly in Dr. Morton’s time. Because both viruses manifest themselves in the form of lesions on the skin as well as fever, it was easy to see why anyone would connect the two to one another.
In fact, the great 18th century Doctor Samuel Johnson himself is credited in one of the most popular theories as to the origin of the name Chicken Pox. This theory goes that he believed since it was a milder form of Small Pox, it wasn’t as strong or as vicious. Therefore, it was “chicken.” If you’re curious, chicken, meaning “coward,” first popped up around the 14th century.
1767
In 1767, Dr. William Heberden, also hailing from England, made the discovery that Chicken Pox and Small Pox are in fact, NOT from the same virus as previously thought.
This all brings us to theory number two. The Middle English language (12th-15th centuries) had the words “Yicche” or “Icchen” meaning, “to itch.” The Old English word for “to itch” is “Giccan.” So it seems possible that “Chicken Pox” may simply be a bastardized version of “Giccan/Yicche/Icchen/Itching” + “Pox.”
Beyond those, people have voiced theories that generally aren’t given as much credence, such as that the red spots look like a chicken pecked the victim. Another idea is that they were named for their similarity in appearance to “chick peas” (a.k.a. “Garbanzo Beans” or “Ceci Beans”).
Now let’s look at the other word- “Pox.” Pox, which first popped up around the late 15th century, is simply an alternate way to spell the plural of “pockes” (from “pocke”), which ultimately derives from the Old English “pocc,” meaning “pustule, blister, ulcer.”
1961
So depending on which of the two main theories you want to believe, Chicken Pox would then either literally be “cowardly/lesser blisters” (as in a lesser form of Small Pox- which if you go look at some pictures of those affected, Chicken Pox is definitely lesser). Alternatively, it could simply be a bastardized way of saying “Icchen (as in itchy) Blisters,” which for those of us who’ve had it, we can all agree Chicken Pox is that. So take your pick. There just isn’t enough documented evidence for us to know for sure on this one.
But in the 15th century the chequeen travelled to India, where it became a chickeen or a chick, a coin worth about four rupees. And the earlier form of the word also survived there, as a sicca rupee, a newly minted silver coin held to be worth more than a worn one. In their Anglo-Indian dictionary of 1886, Hobson–Jobson, Yule and Burnell conjectured that chicken hazard, a dice game played for small stakes, “chicken stakes,” came from the chequeen. And a chicken nabob, according to Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1961), was a man returned from India with but a moderate fortune.
So perhaps the chickenpox was, by comparison with those more serious infections, the great pox and the small pox, merely as you might say a catchpenny.
Can you get chickenpox if you’ve been vaccinated?
Yes. About 15% – 20% of people who have received one dose of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine do still get chickenpox if they are exposed, but their disease is usually mild. Vaccinated persons who get chickenpox generally have fewer than 50 spots or bumps, which may resemble bug bites more than typical, fluid-filled chickenpox blisters. In 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend routine two-dose varicella vaccination for children. In one study, children who received two doses of varicella vaccine were three times less likely to get chickenpox than individuals who have had only one dose.
How did the first person catch chickenpox?
The chickenpox virus (which has the scientific name of Varicella Zoster virus) has been around for a lot longer than human beings. The first chickenpox viruses probably emerged 70m years ago, around the time dinosaurs went extinct, and infected our distant ancestors – probably small furry mammals that lived in family groups in trees. Since that time, chickenpox viruses have evolved with us.
Abstract
Have you ever thought about the lay term chickenpox and wondered where it came from? Or what the corresponding terms might be in other languages? Chickenpox has a fascinating etymology that can serve as an entertaining teaching and learning opportunity for busy clinicians and their trainees. Four facts about the term are presented, each of which contributes to an illustration of the history of the disease, but also offers a deeper understanding of the transmission and clinical features of the illness. Etymological and linguistic origins also illustrate how parents and doctors have observed, explained and feared the condition.
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