Old Diseases

Ablepsy = Blindness

Ague = Malarial Fever

American plague = Yellow fever.

Anasarca = Generalized massive edema.

Aphonia = Laryngitis.

Aphtha = The infant disease "thrush".

Apoplexy = Paralysis due to stroke.

Asphycsia/Asphicsia =Cyanotic and lack of oxygen.

Atrophy =Wasting away or diminishing in size.

Bad Blood = Syphilis

Bilious fever = Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis.

Biliousness = Jaundice associated with liver disease.

Black plague or death = Bubonic plague.

Black fever = Acute infection with high temperature and dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate.

Black pox = Black Small pox

Black vomit = Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever

Blackwater fever = Dark urine associated with high temperature.

Bladder in throat = Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates)

Blood poisoning = Bacterial infection; septicemia

Bloody flux = Bloody stools

Bloody sweat = Sweating sickness

Bone shave = Sciatica

Brain fever = Meningitis

Breakbone = Dengue fever

Bright's disease = Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys

Bronze John = Yellow fever

Bule = Boil, tumor or swelling

Cachexy = Malnutrition

Cacogastric = Upset stomach

Cacospysy = Irregular pulse

Caduceus = Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy

Camp fever = Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea

Canine madness = Rabies, hydrophobia

Canker = Ulceration of mouth or lips or herpes simplex

Catalepsy = Seizures / trances

Catarrhal = Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy

Cerebritis = Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning

Chilblain = Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold

Child bed fever = Infection following birth of a child

Chin cough = Whooping cough

Chlorosis = Iron deficiency anemia

Cholera = Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing

Cholera morbus = Characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, elevated temperature, etc. Could be appendicitis

Cholecystitus = Inflammation of the gall bladder

Cholelithiasis = Gall stones

Chorea = Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing

Cold plague = Ague which is characterized by chills

Colic = An abdominal pain and cramping

Congestive chills = Malaria

Consumption = Tuberculosis

Congestion = Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs

Congestive chills = Malaria with diarrhea

Congestive fever = Malaria

Corruption = Infection

Coryza = A cold

Costiveness = Constipation

Cramp colic = Appendicitis

Crop sickness = Overextended stomach

Croup = Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat

Cyanosis = Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood

Cynanche = Diseases of throat

Cystitis = Inflammation of the bladder

Day fever = Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness

Debility = Lack of movement or staying in bed

Decrepitude = Feebleness due to old age

Delirium tremens = Hallucinations due to alcoholism

Dengue = Infectious fever endemic to East Africa

Dentition = Cutting of teeth

Deplumation = Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss

Diary fever = A fever that lasts one day

Diptheria = Contagious disease of the throat

Distemper = Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia

Dock fever = Yellow fever

Dropsy = Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease

Dropsy of the Brain = Encephalitis

Dry Bellyache = Lead poisoning

Dyscrasy = An abnormal body condition

Dysentery = Inflammation of colon with frequent passage

Dysorexy = Reduced appetite of mucous and blood

Dyspepsia = Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms

Dysury = Difficulty in urination

Eclampsy = Symptoms of epilepsy, convulsions during labor

Ecstasy = A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason

Edema = Nephrosis; swelling of tissues

Edema of lungs = Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy

Eel thing = Erysipelas

Elephantiasis = A form of leprosy

Encephalitis = Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness

Enteric fever = Typhoid fever

Enterocolitis = Inflammation of the intestines

Enteritis = Inflations of the bowels

Epitaxis = Nose bleed

Erysipelas = Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions

Extravasted blood = Rupture of a blood vessel

Falling sickness = Epilepsy

Fatty Liver = Cirrhosis of liver

Fits = Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity

Flux = An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea

Flux of humour = Circulation

French pox = Syphilis

Gathering = A collection of pus

Glandular fever = Mononucleosis

Great pox = Syphilis

Green fever / sickness = Anemia

Grippe/grip = Influenza like symptoms

Grocer's itch = Skin disease caused by mites in sugar or flour

Heart sickness = Condition caused by loss of salt from body

Heat stroke = Body temperature elevates because of surrounding environment temperature and body does not perspire to reduce temperature. Coma and death result if not reversed

Hectical complaint = Recurrent fever

Hematemesis = Vomiting blood

Hematuria = Bloody urine

Hemiplegy = Paralysis of one side of body

Hip gout = Osteomylitis

Horrors = Delirium tremens

Hydrocephalus = Enlarged head, water on the brain

Hydropericardium = Heart dropsy

Hydrophobia = Rabies-

Hydrothroax = Dropsy in chest

Hypertrophic = Enlargement of organ, like the heart

Impetigo = Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules

Inanition = Physical condition resulting from lack of food

Infantile paralysis = Polio

Intestinal colic = Abdominal pain due to improper diet

Jail fever = Typhus

Jaundice = Condition caused by blockage of intestines

King's evil = Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands

Kruchhusten = Whooping cough

Lagrippe = Influenza

Lockjaw = Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of the neck and jaw. Untreated, it is fatal in 8 days

Long sickness = Tuberculosis

Lues disease = Syphilis

Lues venera = Venereal disease

Lumbago = Back pain

Lung fever = Pneumonia

Lung sickness = Tuberculosis

Lying in = Time of delivery of infant

Malignant sore throat = Diphtheria

Mania = Insanity

Marasmus = Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition

Membranous Croup = Diphtheria

Meningitis = Inflations of brain or spinal cord

Metritis = Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge

Miasma = Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air

Milk fever = Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis

Milk leg = Post partum thrombophlebitis

Milk sickness = Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds

Mormal = Gangrene

Morphew = Scurvy blisters on the body

Mortification = Gangrene of necrotic tissue

Myelitis = Inflammation of the spine

Myocarditis = Inflammation of heart muscles

Necrosis = Mortification of bones or tissue

Nephrosis = Kidney degeneration

Nepritis = Inflammation of kidneys

Nervous prostration = Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities

Neuralgia = Described as discomfort, such as "Headache" was neuralgia in head

Nostalgia = Homesickness

Palsy = Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. It was listed as "Cause of death"

Paroxysm = Convulsion

Pemphigus = Skin disease of watery blisters

Pericarditis = Inflammation of heart

Peripneumonia = Inflammation of lungs-

Peritonotis = Inflammation of abdominal area

Petechial Fever = Fever characterized by skin spotting Puerperal exhaustion Death due to child birth

Phthiriasis = Lice infestation

Phthisis = Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis

Plague = An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate

Pleurisy = Any pain in the chest area with each breath

Podagra = Gout

Poliomyelitis = Polio

Potter's asthma = Fibroid pthisis

Pott's disease = Tuberculosis of spine

Puerperal exhaustion = Death due to childbirth

Puerperal fever = Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant---

Puking fever = Milk sickness

Putrid fever = Diphtheria

Quinsy = Tonsillitis

Remitting fever = Malaria

Rheumatism = Any disorder associated with pain in joints

Rickets = Disease of skeletal system

Rose cold = Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy

Rotanny fever = (Child's disease) ???

Rubeola = German measles

Sanguineous crust = Scab

Scarlatina = Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever = A disease characterized by red rash

Scarlet rash = Roseola

Sciatica = Rheumatism in the hips

Scirrhus = Cancerous tumors

Scotomy = Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight

Scrivener's palsy = Writer's cramp

Screws = Rheumatism

Scrofula = Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and fistulas develop. Young person's disease

Scrumpox = Skin disease, impetigo

Scurvy = Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin

Septicemia = Blood poisoning

Shakes = Delirium tremens

Shaking = Chills, ague

Shingles = Viral disease with skin blisters

Ship fever = Typhus

Siriasis = Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure

Sloes = Milk sickness

Small pox = Contagious disease with fever and blisters

Softening of brain = Result of stroke or hemorrhage in the brain, with an end result of the tissue softening in that area

Sore throat distemper = Diphtheria or quinsy

Spanish influenza = Epidemic influenza

Spasms = Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, like a convulsion

Spina bifida = Deformity of spine

Spotted fever = Either typhus or meningitis

Sprue = Tropical disease characterized by intestinaldisorders and sore throat St. Anthony's fire = Also erysipelas, but named so because of affected skin areas are bright red in appearance

St. Vitas dance = Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntary

Stomatitis = Inflammation of the mouth

Stranger's fever = Yellow fever

Strangery = Rupture

Sudor anglicus = Sweating sickness

Summer complaint = Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk

Sunstroke = Uncontrolled elevation of body temperature due to environment heat. Lack of sodium in the body is a predisposing cause

Swamp sickness = Could be malaria, typhoid or encephalitis

Sweating sickness = Infectious and fatal disease common to UK in 15th century

Tetanus = Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness

Thrombosis = Blood clot inside blood vessel

Thrush = Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat

Tick fever = Rocky mountain spotted fever

Toxemia of pregnancy = Eclampsia

Trench mouth = Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene

Tussis convulsiva = Whooping cough

Typhus = Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness

Variola = Smallpox

Venesection = Bleeding

Viper's dance = St. Vitus Dance

Water on brain = Enlarged head

White swelling = Tuberculosis of the bone

Winter fever = Pneumonia

Womb fever = Infection of the uterus

Worm fit = Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhea

Yellowjacket = Yellow fever

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