Maybe you’ve had the itchy eyes and runny nose of seasonal allergies lately, but warmer weather also brings on the lifted spirits commonly known as “spring fever.” This idiomatic sensation is usually associated with feelings of excitement and perhaps restlessness after being cooped up in the winter months. But in the earliest days of this expression, it was more likely to be used to describe an actual ailment, one later identified as scurvy.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “spring fever” came about by the late 17th century, but in those days, “spring fever” or “spring disease” was associated with painful symptoms such as swollen gums and achy joints. In the book Plagues and Poxes, author Alfred J. Bollet notes that many American colonists suffered from a common mysterious ailment as winter transitioned to spring. With modern medical knowledge at our disposal, we now know this was scurvy, a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency, which most likely occurred due to the lack of fresh produce available in the cold winter months. As time progressed, people realized that this illness’s connection to spring was merely a coincidence.
In time, “spring fever” shed its unpleasant connotation, and the phrase came to refer to the sense of excitement many people feel as the days get longer and warmer. This is especially true for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder — these people are more prone to depression during colder months and show more obvious swings toward happiness in the spring. Part of this has to do with increased sunlight and warmth triggering the brain to produce mood-boosting chemicals such as serotonin.
So while “spring fever” isn’t worth seeing a doctor over, it’s definitely a real sensation that many people experience on a seasonal basis. Maybe a physician could help you with those annoying seasonal allergies, though.
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