What Disease Was Known as “The King’s Evil”? Why 88% of Quizified Players Got It Wrong

The trickiest Quizified question in September asked: “What disease used to be called ‘The King’s Evil’?” Only 12.2% of players answered correctly, identifying scrofula, a form of tuberculosis that primarily affects the lymph nodes in the neck. A huge 73% chose gout, making it one of the most commonly missed medical history questions of the month. At first glance, the confusion makes sense. Gout has long been associated with indulgence and luxury, leading to the nickname “the disease of kings” due to its links with rich food, alcohol, and aristocratic excess. But the historical term “the King’s Evil” has nothing to do with gout and everything to do with medieval superstition.

Why Scrofula Was Called “The King’s Evil”

The name comes from the medieval and early-modern belief that English and French monarchs held divine healing powers. People thought the king or queen could cure scrofula simply by placing their hands on the sufferer - a ritual known as the royal touch. These ceremonies were performed by numerous rulers, including Edward the Confessor, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, and even as late as Queen Anne in the early 18th century. Patients would line up in the hope that sacred authority might succeed where medicine could not. While strange by modern standards, it reveals how medicine, religion, superstition, and monarchy were deeply intertwined for centuries. Understanding the context makes it clear why this question misled so many Quizified players: gout had the royal association, but scrofula had the royal cure.

Scrofula in Medical Terms

Medically, scrofula refers to tuberculous lymphadenitis, most commonly presenting as swollen neck lymph nodes caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Before antibiotics, it was disfiguring and difficult to treat, which contributed to its mystique and the belief that only divine authority could cure it.

Why So Many Players Chose Gout Instead

The mix-up comes from two different royal associations:

• Gout = “disease of kings” (linked to wealthy lifestyles)

• Scrofula = “the King’s Evil” (linked to monarchs supposedly curing it)
  These overlapping narratives explain why even well-read players fell into the trap.

Other Diseases With Old or Misleading Historical Names

Medical history is full of confusing or outdated names that still appear in trivia and can easily trip people up. Here are some of the most common ones to know:

1. Consumption - Tuberculosis

Before the germ theory of disease, tuberculosis was called consumption because sufferers gradually “wasted away.” It is one of the most famous historical disease names.

2. Dropsy - Edema

Dropsy referred to generalised swelling caused by fluid retention, which today we call edema. Before modern cardiology, dropsy was often a sign of congestive heart failure.

3. Apoplexy - Stroke

Apoplexy was used for sudden collapse due to stroke or hemorrhage. In older literature, “died of apoplexy” almost always refers to a stroke.

4. Lockjaw - Tetanus

Tetanus was commonly called lockjaw because the infection causes severe muscle spasms, particularly in the jaw, making it difficult to open the mouth.

5. Consumption of the Bowels - Crohn’s Disease or Chronic Enteritis

Before modern gastroenterology, inflammatory bowel diseases were described loosely as bowel “consumption” or “flux.” This term appears in Victorian medical writing and historical trivia.

6. The French Disease - Syphilis

Syphilis was nicknamed “the French disease”, “the Spanish disease,” or “the Neapolitan disease,” depending on the country. Each nation blamed someone else for introducing it.

7. Grippe - Influenza

Grippe is an old term for influenza that still appears in 19th-century texts and older newspapers.

8. St. Vitus’ Dance - Sydenham’s Chorea

A neurological disorder causing involuntary movements, now recognised as part of rheumatic fever. The old name comes from medieval dancing mania legends.

9. Milk Leg - Postpartum Thrombophlebitis

A painful swelling in the leg that affected women after childbirth; now understood as a deep vein thrombosis complication.

10. The Sweat or “Sweating Sickness” - Possibly a Hantavirus (Unconfirmed)

A mysterious Tudor-period epidemic whose true cause remains debated. Not to be confused with malaria or influenza.
Understanding these older names is incredibly useful for both trivia and historical reading, because many diseases were classified long before modern medical science existed.

Why This Was September’s Most Deceptive Trivia Question

Questions about medical history are tricky because they mix folklore, outdated terminology, and modern scientific understanding. Gout’s royal reputation made it seem like the obvious answer, but historically, scrofula was the disease linked to monarchy through the ritual of the royal touch. That subtle distinction is exactly the kind of nuance that makes Quizified’s toughest monthly questions so satisfying—and so challenging.
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