Definitions

1. noun

A former medical treatment in which blistering agents, such as the secretions of the blister beetle, were applied to the skin to induce a fever or a general therapeutic effect.

“The use of cantharidism as a medical treatment was eventually abandoned due to its unpredictable and often severe side effects.”

2. noun

A type of poisoning caused by the ingestion of blister beetle secretions.

“The hikers experienced cantharidism after accidentally ingesting the secretions of the blister beetle while eating a meal in the wild.”