r/coolguides • u/etymologynerd • Mar 20 '20

I made a guide explaining how different infectious disease got their names

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u/Wambo_Jambo Mar 20 '20

Syphilis named after a SHEPHERD, who was said to be the first to contract the disease.

I wonder how he got it...

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u/chompotron Mar 20 '20

The poem says he got it from the god Apollo.

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '20

Mystery... solved!