A medical term for dysentery—severe inflammation of the intestines causing bloody diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. Acts 28:8 describes Publius's father suffering from fever and dysentery when Paul healed him on Malta. The term was used in classical medical writings by Hippocrates and others for this specific disease. Luke, the physician-evangelist, employs the precise medical vocabulary of his day. The healing demonstrates Christ's power over disease and opened doors for ministry on the island.