OLD-WORDS-L Archives

From: Sue Williams <>
Subject: Re: Shiver Me Timbers - Ague
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 12:36:07 -0600

Hi,
Just wanted to add. In Sangamon County IL, in a book that I own; there's
a Chapter on ague!
Alot of the early settlers caught it. The way they describe it is
hilarous! Wish that I had time to copy some of it. If the group wants to
read it, let me know and I'll make the time. It's real funny. Send an
email; just say "copy" and I'll know.

Sue wrote:
>
> Ague was a common term to describe a variety of conditions
> usually linked with fever, especially malaria.
>
> These definitions were from the 1828 Webster's
>
> 1. The cold fit which precedes a fever, or a paroxysm of fever in
> intermittents. It is accompanied with shivering.
>
> 2. Chilliness; a chill, or state of shaking with cold, though in
> health.
>
> 3. It is used for a periodical fever, an intermittent, whether
> quotidian, tertian, or quartan. In this case, the word, which
> signifies the preceding cold fit, is used for the disease.
>
> You could also use it as a verb: To cause a shivering in; to
> strike with a cold fit.
>
> This lead to it's use as a past participle and adjective:Agued -
> Chilly; having a fit of ague; shivering with cold or fear. John
> was agued because the air got so cold.
>
> For the more desperate or credulous, there was the ague-spell, a
> charm against the fever; there was being ague-struck with a
> sudden attack of the disease, aguish when you felt the chill
> coming on.
>
> The word is related to acute, for it's sharp, acute effects.
>
> by 1913, the feeling of acute was considered obsolete...it was
> mostly applied to the intermittent fever characteristic of
> malaria...with it's alternating hot and cold fits, although it
> was still used like we use chills (at least in the modern US...)
>
> An Ague drop was a solution of potassium arsenite used for the
> fever..
>
> And the Sassafras tree was once called the Ague tree, cause the
> root was once used to treat the fever...
>
> Sue
>

They were talking about the flu, in this instance. They thought that it
was from the GROUND being opened up (plowed) for the first time!
Ha.
SUE

This thread:

• Shiver Me Timbers - Ague by Sue <>

  • Re: Shiver Me Timbers - Ague by Sue Williams <>