questions ya wanna know answers to

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Pre Op / home health.

gotta come up with an interesting question for a class paper ie why are chicken pox called chicken pox?

Anyone have anything interesting to share???

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My guess would be because the bumps look like a de-feathered chicken.

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Specializes in Pre Op / home health.

Actually believe it or not... it is from chicpeas... back in the day they sent pictures to show what this thing was (chicken pox) and to describe it they took pics of chicpeas on papaer... seriously!

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Because the scars it tended to sometimes leave on the face look like one had been poxed by a chicken's beak?

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
actually believe it or not... it is from chicpeas... back in the day they sent pictures to show what this thing was (chicken pox) and to describe it they took pics of chicpeas on papaer... seriously!

that's really interesting! thanks for sharing it.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
gotta come up with an interesting question for a class paper ie why are chicken pox called chicken pox?

Anyone have anything interesting to share???

You might do nursery rhyme origins. Such as the notion that "Ring around the rosie" was about the Black Plague. http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ring_around_the_rosy.htm

Or not:

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

Another interesting archaic diagnosis was "consumption." But you'll have to look that one up yourself. ;)

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Actually believe it or not... it is from chicpeas... back in the day they sent pictures to show what this thing was (chicken pox) and to describe it they took pics of chicpeas on papaer... seriously!

Unfortunately, this is only one of 5 listed on wikipedia. By "back in the day" do you mean 925 AD? And when they "sent pictures", do you mean by mail? with polaroids?

So- I don't believe it. Seriously.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Okay, old disease, look for an "old" answer. Giccin was the Old English word for "itchy" and "Pox" meant "curse." Therefore, "Chicken pox" means either "cursed with itching" or "itching curse." It's also possible that people thought the drying "pocks" looked like the skin off of a chick pea.

Dr. Richard Morton used the term in English back in the 1600's. At that time, chicken was also used for "cowardly" and some think it was called "chicken pox" to say it was a "cowardly" or weaker version of small pox.

The main thing is as long as the vesicles start on the face/body and move out to the arms, it's chicken pox. If they start on the arms/legs and move to the face and trunk, it's smallpox and all of our days just went to *****.

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Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.

My question would be: Why does the full moon bring the crazies out?

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Specializes in CMSRN.

Love the one about the full moon.

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my question would be: why does the full moon bring the crazies out?

rofl!! :chuckle

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Specializes in Pre Op / home health.

Thanks everyone! Some very interesting questions to raise! The chicken pox thing was given by our instructor who dug through for the proper answer ... seems far out there aye? I like these scenerios keep em coming! :)

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