|
Old
Names For Diseases |
|
Clata McCarver
|
|
In case you
have read old documents, etc. and wonder about the diseases that may be
mentioned...this may be interesting. 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 & 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 & 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; epilepsy |
|
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 that 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
childbirth |
|
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 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 |
|
Wasting Disease
- Cancer |
|
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. |
| |
