Asaphatum

Historical definition

Asaphatum is an itch arising between skin and flesh, like worms; if the skin is pressed, long threads with black heads come out.

Meaning

The entry gives a reported appearance and an action associated with it. Its “like worms” wording is a comparison and should remain one. The sentence does not identify a particular organism through evidence available to modern diagnosis. Replacing the whole description with a disease name would therefore claim more than the source establishes.

For reading historical medicine, preserve the relation among location, sensation and observed matter. The dictionary’s purpose here is to make a difficult term recognizable within that account. It is not supplying a general test or treatment for a present-day skin condition.