Diseases

["Neil B. M. Calton" <nbc@VAX-D.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK>]

> From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU

> Totally unexpected, at least by this fan! How on earth does syphilis
> relate to the song? Well, actually, after listening again to the
> passage on CD, new lyrics in hand, IED has come to the conclusion
> that the word is _not_ "syphilis" (the spelling for the disease) but
> _"Syphilus"_. She's definitely making an "ooss" sound rather than an
> "iss" sound at the end of that word. And that makes much more sense
> in the context of the song.  Syphilus was a hero in Greek legend, a
> shepherd. (IED hasn't been able to find out more yet, but he will!)

The information I have is that in 1530 Girolamo Fracastoro, a Veronese
physician, wrote a poem about an unfortunate shepherd named Syphilus,
supposedly the first person to catch the disease (then usually known as
the 'French disease' or `French pox'). He called the poem `Syphilis', and
the name has remained in the language ever since. 

> Have you seen the new _Kate Bush Complete_ in stores over there? 

No I have not seen this yet - but my local stores are fairly parochial
so might not get it for some time. It may be more accessible in London
but I wont be able to get there in the near future to check.

If anyone likes to keep track of every published picture of Kate,
there is a small photo in the June/July issue of Amnesty (the journal
of Amnesty International). I believe it is a smaller version of one
which appears in the SPTB book.

Be seeing you.