Fox-creeper

A disease of the genitoanal region and the throat characterized by erosion, first described in the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet (金匮要略 jīn guì yào lüè). The Gold Cabinet (jīn guì) attributes it to worms. It is now generally agreed to be associated with damp-heat.

Biomedical correspondence: Sometimes equated with Behcet’s disease.

Etymology

Chinese: 狐 hú literally means fox and is said in the Golden Cabinet the disease of the anus and/or genitals; 惑 huò literally means beguil(ing/ed) and is said to refer to the disease of the throat. Although 惑 is the character that appears in the received text, the same character with an insect/reptile signific instead of the heart signific, 蜮 yù (alternatively appearing with the signific at the bottom), is suspected as being the original form. This character denotes a mystical turtle with three legs, believed to kill or wound humans by shooting sand from its mouth. It was often referred to as 狐蜮 hú yù, presumably on account of the fact that it had qualities of slyness resembling those of the fox. It may therefore be that the disease was originally so named on account of certain characteristics of slyness.