Scrofula: The King's Secret

Scrofula was a terrible affliction that infected a huge number of the population during the reign of Charles II. By Andrew Taylor.

Charles II

In the 17th century, the King’s Evil was a commonly used term for the disease of scrofula. But it was much more than a disease: it was where orthodox medicine collided with a form of magic, and where political expedience ran side by side with religious belief.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines scrofula as  "A constitutional disease characterized mainly by chronic enlargement and degeneration of the lymphatic glands ". It particularly affects the lymph nodes of the neck. It is associated with parasitical bacilli that may be tuberculous or non-tuberculous. It’s often transmitted through unpasteurised milk.

Googling images of its victims gives an uncomfortably vivid glimpse of how disfiguring the condition can be. In the past, scrofula was sometimes fatal as well. It can also lead to blindness. Nowadays, depending on its type, it can be treated, usually successfully, either with a tuberculosis treatment and antibiotics or by surgery.