Infixation

Also influx. Term used in disease names indicating infection and permanent lodging. Examples include worm infixation, toxin infixation (both old names for pulmonary consumption), and summer infixation.

Etymology

Chin 疰 is composed of the illness signifier 疒 with 主 zhǔ, which may have been included purely for its phonetic value, or, as has been suggested, also for its semantic value. As an abbreviation of 住 zhù, to lodge, it has been suggested that it reflects how the disease becomes permanently lodged in the body. As an abbreviated form of 注 zhù, to flow, it might reflect how the evil flows into the body; and indeed the character 注 is used interchangeably with 疰 (see influx). Note that these characters are akin to 蛀 zhù, to be eroded by worms.