Vasculitis and its relation to the streptococcus

Abstract

The term scarlet fever has been used for centuries. To the layman it conveys a sense of drama, unlike measles, which is accepted as a childhood complaint. In the days of the militia, scarlet fever was used as signifying a female passion for the red coats. This usage comes from the British national proneness to belittle something that is serious, rather than to suggest that the epidemic disease was a frivolous condition. In the twentieth century, scarlet fever has lost most of its virulence, but the name retains much of the dramatic and the doctors tend to talk of scarlatina to their patients, implying that it is a milder form of the disease. The disease is certainly mild in Europe, but not universally so. Its epidemic future cannot be forecast. If the present trend continues, the term scarlet fever may become of historical interest only.