By What on earth was or is Lumbago? It’s something you never hear of now. Growing up, there was so much that I heard the elders saying, things like ‘…my nerves are shot’ or as the famous song goes from the 1960s, ‘…how’s your Berts Lumbago?’ Carbuncles, that’s another thing that seems to have disappeared from the medical issues of modern-day living.
Shhhhhhh
The days when my Grandmother would talk in a whisper, halfway through a normal conversation that her neighbour, Mrs. Watkins had caught whatever it was she didn’t want us kids to know. The type of thing that the late comedian Les Dawson made so funny during his career. The fact is, it didn’t matter that my Grandmother whispered the words, no one could hear them anyway, it’s just that you knew it must be something embarrassing by the fact that she was whispering!
Apoplexy
‘Poor old Mr. Shorthouse at number 23 is in hospital with apoplexy!’ That’s something else you never hear these days, but I think I’m right in saying it was a stroke. ‘He’s been overdoing it as dear Mrs. Shorthouse has had him running around the place because she’s been in bed with melancholia.’ That’s depression. Then the whispering would start and no one would know who or what was suffering with whatever.
The Fever
There were more than one or two of my Grandmother’s neighbours who suffered from what she called Barrell Fever. The image that used to spring to my mind as a young boy was someone who might resemble the shape of a barrel. What she actually meant by it was someone suffering from alcoholism. The mind boggles.
If you’d like to see more antiquated illness names, there’s a website here.
SueW
November 18, 2022Great article, Trev!
Remembering my youth and my mother’s aches and pains; she frequently suffered from a type of backache that she described as lumbago. I’ve often thought about the cause of her back pain and its actual name. In recent years I came to the conclusion it might have been what we now call sciatica. But who knows?! 🙂
Trev
November 18, 2022Thank you, Sue. It used to seem so common yet you never here of it today. I bet a lot of lower back problems were sciatica. 😊
Rachel McAlpine
November 18, 2022Or arthritis?
Trev
November 18, 2022Could be 😊
Peace Truth
November 18, 2022You are correct, Sue I, too, remember my Father, poor dear. When I was studying medicine in Australia, I found that long-forgotten term. At last I could understand his torment 💯👏
Rachel McAlpine
November 18, 2022Carbunkles: I’ve always thought of them as boils. Is that another old word?
Trev
November 18, 2022I think you’re probably right, Rachel. Thank you 😊
JosieHolford
November 18, 2022Lumbago was a close relative of impetigo. Well known Glasgow ice cream makers well-known in the 1950s. Sadly they both died of died of scarlet fever.
Trev
November 18, 2022Lol 😂 That’s another term long gone, Scarlet Fever. Thank you, Josie. 😊
SueW
November 18, 2022😂
Herb
November 18, 2022I remember hearing the term lumbago back then but it must have a different name now, lol. I never heard of Barrell Fever.
Trev
November 18, 2022Thanks Herb 😊
Carolyn
November 18, 2022Oh yes, there was a lot of lumbago. My mother used to say, if anyone was a bit off that they were “liverish”. If we were sick we’d go to bed and be fed bread and warm milk. My mum had scarlet fever and it involved having bandages for some reason though they may have been for some other thing. Do people still get chillblains? I must look up that site!
Trev
November 18, 2022Thank you, Carolyn. Well, I have never heard that before, “liverish.” As for chilblains, I don’t know. 😄😊
luisa zambrotta
November 18, 2022I really enjoyed your article, as well as the link you provided. Even though you were talking about illnesses you did it so lightly that your words amused me a lot 🌹
Trev
November 18, 2022That’s very kind of you, Luisa. Thank you. 🙏😊🙏😊
SusanR
November 18, 2022I always thought lumbago was a general term for any kind of back pain. I don’t know if it meant a specific type of back pain, but there are a lot of different causes of back pain.
Trev
November 18, 2022I think it was used as a general lower back pain. It sounds better than back ache. Thank you, Susan. 😊
John
November 18, 2022I’ve never heard the word Apoplexy. Maybe it’s more of a British word? Have a great weekend, Trev! And, thanks so much for visiting my blog, very much appreciated!
Trev
November 18, 2022Thank you, John. Perhaps it was just a British word 😊
Peter's pondering
November 18, 2022How many of us have seen the use of poultices to ease the pain of boils, growths, open wounds etc? I remember Mum applying a bread poultice to Dad’s neck. I think herbs and spices may have been mixed in with the breadcrumbs.
Trev
November 18, 2022Yes, I remember poultices but never had to have one applied myself. Thank you, Peter. 😊
Rosaliene Bacchus
November 18, 2022Oh my, Trev, I haven’t heard the work ‘lumbago’ since my childhood days in then British Guiana! I also remember ‘apoplexy’ but never knew what it was. As for depression or other mental sickness, the grown-ups called it a ‘nervous breakdown.’ Diabetes was called ‘sugar,’ as in “she suffer from sugar.”
Trev
December 10, 2022Hi Rosaliene, I have only just seen this comment, so apologies for taking so long to reply. Thank you as always 😊
Gibson Square
November 18, 2022You missed out chilblains, “not feeling myself today” and having a gammy leg.
Lou Carreras
November 19, 2022They all needed a good dosing of Laudanum!
Trev
November 19, 2022Thanks Lou, but I am non the wiser. 🤷🏼😊
markbierman
November 21, 2022Barrell Fever . . . there’s one I’ve never heard of before. I know the nineteenth century, they sometimes described alcoholics as, “admirals of the red,” due to the redness in the face of some of those who’d been drinking for many years.
Trev
November 22, 2022Thanks Mark. No, it’s certainly something I haven’t heard much of. 😊
mitchteemley
November 26, 2022Hah, hadn’t thought about these terms for a long time, Trev! Since they’re no longer in use, does that mean the words can be reassigned? Lumbago definitely sounds like a sensual Latin dance. And who can forget that iconic 60s band The Carbuncles?
Trev
November 27, 2022Haha, thank you, Mitch 😊
unholypursuit
November 27, 2022It’s something that hurts like the devil.
Trev
November 27, 2022Thank you and I’m sorry that you have suffered it. 🙂
abbasmehar
December 4, 2022Thank you so much for sharing unique information in your blog post i really like it very much Dear
kindfeelings
December 6, 2022Interesting terms, thanks for teaching me something new.
Trev
December 6, 2022Thank you
Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey
December 9, 2022I have heard of lumbago but not the others. Have you heard of St Vitas Dance? My grandmother had that when she was a child.
Trev
December 9, 2022Thank you, Sheila. No, I haven’t heard of St Vita’s Dance. 😊