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The title here is most likely nonsense, because–like many writers–I know just enough Latin to get myself in trouble. It’s a play on the far more meaningful “e pluribus unum” (“Out of many, one”) which was a favored motto of the United States founding fathers. Like, many states, but united, dig?
Anyhow, pruritus is the official medical terminology for itchy skin. Seriously.
Sounds a lot more serious than it is, right? “Sorry Paul, I’m going to have to cancel our dinner date. My pruritus is flaring up again.” Unless Paul is a doctor, a Latin scholar, or has read this blog, chances are his response is going to be concern and understanding rather than being pissed off at you.
Then again I know this because I’ve had several recent medical visits documenting my pruritus on account of some damn thing biting me repeatedly, causing nasty welts that itched so bad I would go nearly insane from not scratching… and then would scratch and then have to go on antibiotics because yay, I opened up the wound and the bacteria on my skin dove right in for party time. Was it a mosquito? A spider? We were baffled and so were the doctors, until finally Dawn just recently found (what we dearly hope was) a single bedbug hiding out in the mattress just under where I sleep.
Good news is that (literal) sucker is now dead and neither we nor the pest control guy found evidence of any further infestation. It appears to have been a lone rogue male. We’ll know for sure in the next couple weeks if I get chewed on again.
Also on the plus side, when the doctors were calling it a spider bite I found this article and it is a very entertaining piece showcasing the quirky world of entomology, populated by folks at least as nutty as your average zombie rancher. Give it a read and scratch that intellectual pruritus, eh?