lymphatism

English

Noun

lymphatism (uncountable)

1. (medicine, historical) Enlargement or swelling of the lymphatic tissue, associated in the past with sudden death of children but no longer considered to be an authentic ailment.
   • 1914, Hugh Stannus Stannus, “Congenital Anomalies in a Native African Race”, in Biometrika, volume 10, number 1, page 6:

     Lymphatism. Post-mortem examination on a boy 10 years of age who died after receiving a blow on the head revealed a thymus gland of considerable bulk, 4 inches long.

   • 1911, “Lymphatic_System”, in Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition, New York, N.Y.: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.:

     Status lymphaticus (lymphatism) is a condition found in children and some adults, characterized by an enlargement of the lymphoid tissues throughout the body and more particularly by enlargement of the thymus gland.

2. Bloating, sluggishness.
   • 1948, William S. Lieberman, "Modern French Tapestries," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, vol. 6, no. 5, p. 142,

     As Jean Lurcat said, "The art had died, killed by consumption, insipidness, lymphatism, and inversion."