Scrophule
Scrophule a scropha dicte eo quod ut a scrofa multi porcelli ita ab una multe pullulant similiter et greci chiradas a chira .i. porca vocant he et strume apud multos antiquorum vocantur.
Apparatus:
Scrophule AC ep | Scrofule B | Scophule f {'r' missing, copying error}
{Scrophule a} scropha AC ef | scrofa B | scopha j {copying error}
{ut} a om. j
ut om. f
multi porcelli AC ejp | ml’ti porceli B | porcelli m͞lti f
{porcelli} oriuntur add. e
pullulant AC efp | pululant B j
.i. | quod est ms. e
porca B efjp | porci AC
he AC | hee B efp | he ul’ hee j
strume AC fjp | strũe B | strimie? ms. e
vocantur | d͡nt~ f {= dicuntur}
Translation:
Scrophule is derived from scropha {"sow"} because just like many piglets are dropped from a breeding sow, in a similar way one scrofulous tumour can produce many more; and the Greeks call them chiradas from the word chira, which means "sow" too. These swellings are also called strume by many of the ancient authors.
Commentary:
Scrophule:
Latin scrofulae (pl.), derived from scrofa "brood sow", are 'swellings of the glands', especially on the neck. The word appears to be calqued on Greek χοιράδες /khoirádes/ nom., in the entry above χοιράδας /khoirádas/ in the acc. pl. depending on vocant, "scrofulous swellings in the glands of the neck" (LSJ), sg. nom. χοιράς /khoirás/ {"like a hog or a hog's back" (LSJ)}.
χοίρα /khoíra/ also means "brood sow".
Simon offers these words in the Greek itacist pronunciation of his time, affected by the sound change οι > ι {/oi/ > /i/} resulting in /khirádas/ and /khíra/.
Medical matters:
Scrofula has survived into modern medical terminology, cf. [[1]].
Nb: Scrofula is also known in England and France as the "King's evil", but this should not be confused with regius morbus {"the kingly disease"} q.v. - Regius morbus - of antiquity that is generally thought to denote jaundice.
WilfGunther 10:32, 4 August 2014 (BST)
See also: Skrofa, Chiros , Cirades, Strumas