What is the origin of the name typhus?
The name typhus derives from the Greek word typhos, meaning hazy or smoky, which describes the mental fog and delirium experienced by infected individuals.
Questions about Typhus
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the first reliable account of typhus appear?
The first reliable account of this disease appeared in 1489 during the Spanish siege of Baza, where soldiers suffered from gangrenous sores and a spreading rash.
How is epidemic typhus transmitted to humans?
Epidemic typhus is spread by body lice that thrive in unwashed clothing and crowded barracks, transmitting the bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii to hosts.
What happened during the Black Assize of Exeter in 1586?
During the Black Assize of Exeter in 1586, the Lord Chief Baron, the High Sheriff, and hundreds of others died after being exposed to infected prisoners.
How many French soldiers died of typhus during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in 1812?
More French soldiers died of typhus than were killed by the Russian army during the retreat from Moscow in 1812, creating a biological catastrophe.
How many people died of typhus during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s?
Typhus and typhoid fever killed an estimated 400,000 people in Ireland and England during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s.