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.

• Ablespsy--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--diptheria (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
• 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 child
• Chin Cough--whooping cough
• Chlorosis--iron defiency/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 with diarrhea
• Congestive Fever--malaria
• Consumption--tuberculosis
• Congestion--any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs
• Corruption--infection
• Coryza--a cold
• Costiveness--constipation
• Cramp Colic--appendicitis
• Croup--laryngitis, diptheria, or strep throat
• Cyanosis--dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood
• Cynanche--diseases of the throat

• 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 vesticular 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 Humor-circulation
• French Pox--syphilis

• Gathering--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--postpartum 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
• Nephritis--inflammation of kidneys
• Nervous Prostration--extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities
• Neuralgia--described as discomfort, e.g. headace=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 heard
• 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/PolioPotter's asthma--fibroid pthisis
• Pott's Disease--tuberculosis of spine
• Puerperal Fever--elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant
• Puking Fever--milk sickness
• Putrid Fever--diphtheria

• Quinsy--tonsillitis

• Remitting/Remittent 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--disease characterized by red rash
• Scarlet Rash--roseola
• Sciatica--rheumatism in 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 contractions 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 affected skin areas are bright red in appearance
• St. Vitus' Dance--ceaseless occurrence of rapid, complex, jerking movements performed involuntarily
• 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 can cause the tendency
• Swamp Sickness--could be malaria, typhus, 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 (caused by tickbite)
• 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 high fever, characterized by headache and dizziness

• Variola--small pox
• 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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