ague

[Joel S. Berson]

At 10/23/2012 12:29 AM, Wilson Gray wrote:

>On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 6:08 PM, Jonathan Lighter
><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > "og"
>
>I went with [ejg] for dekkids. However, I've yet to have occasion to
>speak this word. I have the vague sense that [ejgju] is the way to go.
>Don' know, f' sho. I also thought that this disease had been cured
>back in the Elizabethan era.

Since I live in the 18th century, I've had much occasion to read
it.  (Conversation is rarer.)

There was much confusion, or conflation, of disease and symptoms, so
into and past the 18th century "ague" might refer to either.  (Even
the OED lumps both together, under sense 1.)  When "ague" was used to
refer to a disease it might be one of several having the ague symptom
of "acute or high fever ... esp. when recurring periodically" and
accompanied by "an intense feeling of cold and shivering" (OED).

I suspect now "ague" is most associated with malaria.  But there is
still imprecision:
2002   J. Thompson Wide Blue Yonder iv. 273   You weren't supposed to
go to India during the monsoons... People caught agues and fevers and funguses.

(Altho' I doubt not a Practitioner of Physick would not speak thusly.)

Joel

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