Barcoo rot

English Etymology A reference to the Barcoo river in Queensland. Noun - en Australia informal An ulcerous skin condition, apparently endemic to tropical or desert climates. en 1917 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Journal of tropical Medicine And Hygiene 20-21 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ptcgAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Barcoo+rot%22&dq=%22Barcoo+rot%22&hl=en&ei=-brHTrmXJoKviQfO5_QS&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y 228 The infection does not spread from one to another among the troops, and barcoo rot affects men living in solitude. en 1917 letter British Medical Journal 1917 468 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=KD1HAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Barcoo+rot%22&dq=%22Barcoo+rot%22&hl=en&ei=-brHTrmXJoKviQfO5_QS&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y Colonel CJ Martin gives some observations on " barcoo rot." This is a very loosely applied term. The original "barcoo rot," as experienced by the older bushmen, was scurvy pure and simple. en 2009 Mike Keenan The Shadows of Horses 225 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ga_Qojq5P-8C&pg=PA225&dq=%22Barcoo+rot%22&hl=en&ei=-brHTrmXJoKviQfO5_QS&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Barcoo%20rot%22&f=false Add Barcoo rot to the torment and it was little wonder some boys came down with fever. Barcoo rot is a dreaded infection in the Barcoo and Thomson watersheds and it spreads voraciously in the humid summer months. Synonyms desert sores veldt sore en Diseases