Definition of Diseases
Did you ever wonder what disease your ancestors died of? Here is a list of the old diseases and what they are called today.
Name of Condition or Disease
Today's Name or Definition
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 Asphicsia Cyanotic and lack of oxygen Asphycsia 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 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 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 vesiculas 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 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. 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 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. 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 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 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 Softing 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 muscle, 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
Transcribed by: Sandy Hardin