2007-03-23 14:02:37 · 6 answers · asked by fed 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
good question
2007-03-23 14:23:07 · answer #1 · answered by da dude 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are a couple of explanations to how chicken pox got it's name.
It was originally thought that it was a milder version of smallpox and so "chicken" refered to it being a less aggressive form of pox. However it was later proven that the two viruses are unrelated.
Another theory to the name's origin suggests that it evolved from a similar sounding old English word "giccen", which mean "itching".
2007-03-23 14:50:10 · answer #2 · answered by DJ Rizla 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever see the bumps on a plucked chicken? The "Pox" are the lesions produced on the skin by the virus.
2007-03-23 14:10:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pox is a variant spelling of pocks, the plural of pock "pustules" or, later "scars left by pustules, pockmarks."
The mildest form of "pox" is "chickenpox;" "chicken" relates to the mildness of the disease. "Chicken" has been used since the 1400s to mean a cowardly person.
2007-03-23 14:13:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a number of suggestions as to the origin of the word chickenpox. It was first used in 1694 to describe what was then thought to be a mild form of smallpox. 'Chichpease' from the french 'chiche' and Latin 'cicen' was suggested as possible origin as the early chickenpox pustule looks like a chickpea.The Old-English term 'cicen 'refers to a barnyard fowl. Another suggestion is that it comes from the Old-English term 'gican' which means itch, I think I prefer that one best.
2007-03-23 17:53:37 · answer #5 · answered by Dr Frank 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cause chickens are used to make the vaccine since it also affects them
2007-03-23 14:10:01 · answer #6 · answered by aggadan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋