Where does the term jungle fever come from?

Answer 1

Tropical diseases such as malaria, Yellow Fever, etc. have long been called "Jungle Fever". However, this is also a term that is derogatory and offensive used to refer to an interracial relationship, often in the pornographic film industry.

The first recorded use of this term Jungle fever (or Febris Virgultis) to describe an interracial attraction or relationship occurred in 1867 when German zoologist Blitz von Leukenheim explored the jungles of Rhodesia in search of the howler monkey. He fell ill and was cared for by a local tribe.

He wrote to his wife and told her of his ailment. She left immediately to care for him and told others of his feverish condition. The news spread around town of his "Jungle Fever," referring to his infection with the Tropical disease.

He subsequently fell in love with his primary Rhodesian care taker, Hadharani Benti (her name translates to Dark Princess). Once fully recovered, he no longer wished to return home. When his wife arrived at the village she saw that he was having a relationship with the African woman. She was infuriated and returned home. Rumors spread and everyone assumed his sickness was a lie and spoke of his "Jungle Fever" in the context of his affair with an African woman.

The term again became popularized as a common usage for interracial couples with the very controversial 1991 Spike Lee film Jungle Fever, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. Wikipedia provides a brief synopsis of the film, see the link below.

This slang term is offensive and bigoted. The subtext is that only a diseased white person would want to have a relationship with a black person, since all blacks are being characterized as primitive natives from the jungle. This inference is intolerant and uneducated at its best and divisive, prejudiced and ignorant at its worst. Either way, it is socially unaccepted and should not be used in this context.