tunnel disease

noun

, Pathology.

1. aeroembolism ( def 2 ).
2. hookworm ( def 2 ).

tunnel disease

noun

1. another name (esp formerly) for decompression sickness

Word History and Origins

Origin of tunnel disease¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Word History and Origins

Origin of tunnel disease¹

so called because it used to be common among people who were digging tunnels

Example Sentences

Mr. Kim succumbed to what he calls tunnel disease after a hunter named Chung Ji-yong showed up in his neighborhood in 2002 and began digging.

From New York Times

Let me begin, then, by stating that my attention was attracted several years ago by that unique complex of symptoms known as the "caisson or tunnel disease."

From Project Gutenberg