"antedating" of zit

Stephen Goranson goranson at DUKE.EDU
Thu Dec 7 17:07:57 UTC 2006


OED zit (1966) Origin unknown

1892 Diseases of the skin By William Allan Jamieson p.222:

An affection which, though not pustular at its outset, assumes in its
course the
characters of such eruptions, and may therefore very well be classed with the
pustular diseases of the skin, is that of impetigo contagiosa. Though known
both to Plumbe and Bateman,it is generally conceded that the merit of first
accurately describing it is due to the late Dr. Tolbury Fox. Its
existence as a
separate form of disease is even now admitted in Vienna; still it is scarcely
yet well known on the Continent, judging from a paper by Dr. Zit of Prague
[....]

p.224: Zit found the majority of his cases in families whose house-room
was too
limited [....]

SG, kidding

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