In "The Plague" by Camus, what does the author mean when he talks about ganglia?

Question

In Gilbert's 1948 translation of Camus' La Peste, "The Plague", there are frequent references to "ganglia" as one of the symptoms of the bubonic plague (yersinia pestis).  The definitions I've found for ganglia seem to refer only to a bunch of nerve cells, which does not sound like what the author means here.  Below are some quotes from the book.  Is he really referring to swollen nerve cells?
"the ganglia of his neck and limbs were swollen"
"I have two cases with inflamed ganglia"
"The ganglia had become still larger and felt like lumps of solid fibrous matter embedded in the flesh"
"The ganglia in the neck were painful to the touch"
"His limbs spread out by the ganglia"
"The ganglia were much bigger"
"swell the mesenteric ganglia to the size of an orange and give them the consistency of gruel"
"Ganglia had formed under the burning skin and there was a rumbling in his chest"
"The ganglia had ceased swelling, but they were still there, like lumps of iron embedded in the joints"

Cascabel · Accepted Answer

From the translation of  La Peste and  published into English as The Plague....

"the ganglia of his neck and limbs were swollen"

"Ganglia" is a questionable translation (apparently Stuart Gilbert's 1948 whack at   the Camus book  La Peste ) of the French word Ganglion.
Ganglion in English actually  refers to a cluster of nerve cells.

A structure containing a number of nerve cell bodies, typically linked by synapses, and often forming a swelling on a nerve fibre.

However, the French ganglion lymphatique does  refer to what is known in English as  lymph glands.
In other words...
Camus was  actually describing  the diagnosis of a plague based on observation of infected  lymph nodes.
...and was translated unclearly.

The devil is in the details...
One of the sub-topics  of the Camus book is the Bubonic Plague, sometimes called the "Black Death"; others say it refers to a Cholera epidemic in the 1850s. .
From the CDC:

Bubonic plague: Patients develop sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes). This form usually results from the bite of an infected flea. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. If the patient is not treated with the appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body.

swollen lymph nodes usually occur under the armpits, jaw, the groinetc.

These types of symptoms are probably unknown to the newer generation, but older folk will no doubt have bad memories.

IMSoP · Answer

Checking Wiktionary's entry for "ganglion" led to the etymology from a Greek word γαγγλίον defined there as:

encysted tumour on a tendon or on the head

It seems that the meaning related to nerve cells came later, because they are bunched together in a similar clump.
Lexico's listing also gives this meaning, and attributes the connection between the two senses to Galen.
So the translation you're reading appears to be using it in its older sense of "tumour".

Peter Shor · Answer

It appears to be a translation error.
The French phrase ganglion nerveux means ganglion, but the French phrase ganglion lymphatique means lymph node. Without an adjective, ganglion can mean either one of these.
The only one of these two that are likely to be swollen when you're sick are lymph nodes, and swollen lymph nodes are a symptom of many diseases, including the bubonic plague. So while the French text may say just ganglion, it's clear that ganglion lymphatique is what is meant.

Mbio · Answer

Native french speaker here.
As others have said above, "ganglia" in the context of this translation means 'lympathic ganglion' or 'lymph nodes'. The term ganglia can be used in different contexts: 1) plural of ganglion, 2) the network of lymphatic ganglion(s), especially in older textbooks.
Here, it appears that the translation may have been too literal. In France, the word 'ganglion' is often used in the context of common upper respiratory tract conditions such as sore throat (viral or strep-throat) or a head cold. It's not uncommon to include "swollen 'ganglion' " when describing symptoms of an ailment to help with diagnosis. Interestingly, we only use the word 'ganglion' to refer to those located in the neck and we don't add an adjective to specify their location. If someone say the word 'ganglion', we, frenchies, will automatically know that they refer to the ones in the neck.
Having experienced healthcare both in the US and France, I can say that if I tell a US doctor that my 'ganglions are swollen' they will look at me weirdly :)
However, US doctors do check on those systematically during their regular exams.
I don't think there is a commonly used word in the english language (at least US english) that really fits the description of the french word 'ganglion'. Perhaps 'neck glands'?

In "The Plague" by Camus, what does the author mean when he talks about ganglia?

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