Definitions
Wiktionary
- n. obsolete, used in historical fiction A particular ailment unknown to, and uncurable by, medical science
Etymologies
- Apparently coined by a Dr. Tufts of early 18th-century London, as the name of one of five diseases his medicine was claimed to be able to cure. According to C.J.S. Tompson's "The Quacks of Old London"(page 100), the marthambles is one of several nonexistent diseases invented by Dr. Tufts in a pamphlet circa 1700s in order to sell his tonics and medicines. Other diseases mentioned in Tuft's pamphlet are the "Strong Fives", the "Moon Pall," and the "Hockogrockle." Tufts claimed to have encountered these diseases on his travels over a period of forty years, and that he could cure them all. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Man, how I remember those days - putting leeches on saddlesores to bring the swelling down, and suffering with terrible marthambles from the pickle juice in my bidon.”
“Our mommas always told us these things were evil (and now our wives do as well), because the candy is not hermetically/cryogenically/hygienically sealed and will no doubt give us rickets, scurvy, the marthambles, lockjaw and the blind staggers if we eat it.”
“All of this seems to confirm that a mountebank named Tuft, circa 1700, was indeed claiming to have discovered some new diseases that included the marthambles, the moon pall, and the strong fives.”
“Pending further information, I'm inclined to believe that that Copeman 1960's inclusion of marthambles to Tudor medical terminology was a mistake, perhaps in turn responsible for Dorothy Dunnett's use in”
“Patrick O'Brian also refers to the marthambles, the strong fives and the moon pall on page 30 of his book”
“Both Tuft's advertisement and Thompson's discussion assert that as of that time, "the marthambles" had NOT been a commonly-used term for more than a century.”
“(page 100), the marthambles is one of several nonexistent diseases invented by a Dr. Tufts in a pamphlet in order to sell his tonics and medicines.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘marthambles’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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medical
medical
famotidine, periodontics, marthambles, acopic, exophthalmia, anosmia, prosopagnosia, yips, agita, dyspepsia, urticaria
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The Aubrey/Maturin List I'm Gonna Mak...
I'm wading through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels one by one, and someday, I'll wade through them again and list all the words I learned while reading them.
Edit: I started ma...studdingsail, carronade, mumchance, grumlin-futtocks, crosscat-harpings, holystone, sennit, orlop, orchitis, negus, kevel, altumal and 1112 more...
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Coined words
Tweets
Looking for tweets for marthambles.
kwebb This word is used in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels as a name of an ailment, the name being used by sailors rather than medical practitioners. O'Brian says that he found it in a 17th century quack's pamphlet. Jun 18, 2009
chained_bear "...a member of the afterguard, whose complaint was known as the marthambles at sea and griping of the guts by land, a disease whose cause Stephen did not know and whose symptoms he could only render more nearly bearable by opiates: he could not cure it. 'He will go in an hour or so, I believe,' said Macmillan..."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Nutmeg of Consolation, 152 Mar 6, 2008
chained_bear "The people were used to his ways, and he was welcome whenever he came; he had cured Mrs Broad, the landlady and an excellent plain cook, of the marthambles, and the boots of a less creditable disease; he could do much as he pleased at the Grapes..." -- Patrick O'Brian, The Surgeon's Mate, 168 Feb 7, 2008