NCMACON-L Archives

From: Philip Sheppard <>
Subject: Other names for illnesses
Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1999 00:19:31 -0500 (EST)

Folks,

This was posted to the Galloway list, and I thought you might find it
helpful when looking at death certs.

Philip

>Some old names for illnesses found in old medical records or listed as
>causes of death on old death certificates or in old family bibles.
>
>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 of mucous and
>blood
>
>Dysorexy - Reduced appetite
>
>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 - PolioPotter'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 pistulas 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 intestinal disorders 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.

This thread:

• Other names for illnesses by Philip Sheppard <>