Butterfly - and Wolf

THE BUTTERFLY
Many lupus patient support organisations across the world use the butterfly for their logo, in various different shapes, styles and designs. Quite a number of patients have the malar rash across the cheeks and on the bridge of the nose and this is said to resemble the shape of the butterfly, hence its adoption by way of a logo.

LUPUS UK is unique in that we have incorporated the butterfly not with wings spread but poised to fly and we see this as the Butterfly of Hope, representing the patient achieving all that is reasonable and possible despite presently-incurable lupus.

THE WOLF
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - this long Latin title beloved of clinicians, often in its shortened form of SLE. Most patients and support group people use the word lupus.

Lupus is the Latin word for wolf and the best explanation that we have heard to date suggests that the heavy facial rash found in lupus vulgaris was likened by doctors to the scarring that builds up around the muzzle of young and adult wolves from eg food begging by the young and playful and not so playful snarling and biting in the adults.

All illnesses seem to move on and relatively few cases of lupus vulgaris are now seen but the name has stuck and wolf is often alluded to in articles as being the villain of the piece in lupus. It just happens that, all those years ago, they just used his name.........