Names of Old Time Illnesses

Compiled by Daniel H. Burrows

Reprinted coutesy of Genealogy Records Service More information available FREE online http://www.genrecords.com

Ablepsy Ague American plague Anasarca Aphonia Aphtha Apoplexy Asphycsia/Asphicsia Atrophy Bad Blood Bilious fever

Biliousness Black plague Black fever

Black pox Black vomit Blackwater fever Bladder in throat Blood poisoning Bloody flux Bloody sweat Bone shave Brain fever Breakbone Brights disease Bronze John Bule Cachexy Cacogastric Cacospysy Caduceus Camp fever

Blindness Malarial Fever Yellow fever Generalized massive edema Laryngitis The infant disease thrush Paralysis due to stroke Cyanotic and lack of oxygen Wasting away or diminishing in size. Syphilis Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis Jaundice associated with liver disease Bubonic plague Acute infection with high temperature and dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate Black Small pox Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever Dark urine associated with high temperature Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates) Bacterial infection; septicemia Bloody stools Sweating sickness Sciatica Meningitis Dengue fever Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys Yellow fever Boil, tumor or swelling Malnutrition Upset stomach Irregular pulse Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea
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Canine madness Canker Catalepsy Catarrhal Cerebritis Chilblain Child bed fever Chin cough Chlorosis Cholera

Cholera morbus

Cholecystitus Cholelithiasis Chorea

Cold plague Colic Congestive chills Consumption Congestion Congestive chills Congestive fever Corruption Coryza Costiveness Cramp colic Crop sickness Croup

Rabies, hydrophobia Ulceration of mouth or lips or herpes simplex Seizures/trances Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold Infection following birth of a child Whooping cough Iron deficiency anemia Acute severe contagious diar rhea with intestinal lining sloughing Characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, elevated temperature, etc. Could be appendicitis Inflammation of the gall bladder Gall stones Disease characterized by con vulsions, contortions and dancing Ague which is characterized by chills An abdominal cramping Malaria Tuberculosis Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs Malaria with diarrhea Malaria Infection A cold Constipation Appendicitis Overextended stomach Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat

Cyanosis Cynanche Cystitis Day fever Debility Decrepitude Delirium tremens Dengue Dentition Deplumation Diary fever Diptheria Distemper

Dock fever Dropsy Dropsy of the Brain Dry Bellyache Dyscrasy Dysentery

Dysorexy Dyspepsia Dysury Eclampsy Ecstasy Edema Edema of lungs Eel thing Elephantiasis Encephalitis Enteric fever Enterocolitis Enteritis Epitaxis Erysipelas

Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood Diseases of throat Inflammation of the bladder Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness Lack of movement or staying in bed Feebleness due to old age Hallucination due to alcoholism Infectious fever endemic to East Africa Cutting of teeth Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss A fever that lasts one day Contagious disease of the throat Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia Yellow fever Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease Encephalitis Lead poisoning An abnormal body condition Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood Reduced appetite Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms Difficulty in urination Symptoms of epilepsy or convultions during labor A form of catalepsy Nephrosis; swelling of tissues Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy Erysipelas A form of leprosy Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness Typhoid fever Inflammation of the intestines Inflations of the bowels Nose bleed Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular
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bulbous lesions Rupture of a blood vessel Epilepsy Cirrhosis of liver 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 Grocers 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 envi ronment 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 charac terized by pustules Inanition Physical condition resulting from lack of food Infantile paralysis Polio Intestinal colic Abdominal pain due to bad diet Jail fever Typhus Jaundice Condition caused by blockage of intestines Kings evil Tuberculosis of neck and lymph Extravasted blood Falling sickness Fatty Liver Fits

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 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
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Pemphigus Pericarditis Peripneumonia Peritonotis Petechial Fever Phthiriasis Phthisis Plague

Pleurisy Podagra PolioPotters asthma Potts disease Puerperal exhaustion Puerperal fever

Puking fever Putrid fever Quinsy Remitting fever Rheumatism Rickets Rose cold Rotanny fever Rubeola Sanguineous crust Scarlatina Scarlet fever Scarlet rash Sciatica Scirrhus Scotomy Scriveners palsy Screws Scrofula

Skin disease of watery blisters Inflammation of heart Inflammation of lungs Inflammation of abdominal area Fever characterized by skin spotting Lice infestation Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate Any pain in the chest area with each breath Gout Fibroid pthisis Tuberculosis of spine Death due to child birth Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant Milk sickness Diphtheria. Tonsillitis. Malaria Any disorder associated with pain in joints Disease of skeletal system Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy (Childs disease) ??? German measles Scab Scarlet fever A disease characterized by red rash Roseola Rheumatism in the hips Cancerous tumors Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight Writers cramp Rheumatism Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pistulas

develop. Young persons 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. Anthonys 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 Strangers 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
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Thrombosis Thrush

Tick fever Toxemia Trench mouth

Tussis convulsiva Typhus

Variola Venesection Vipers dance Water on brain White swelling Winter fever Womb fever Worm fit

Yellowjacket

by high fever, headache and dizziness Blood clot inside blood vessel Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat Rocky mountain spotted fever Eclampsia Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene Whooping cough Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness Smallpox Bleeding St. Vitus Dance Enlarged head Tuberculosis of the bone Pneumonia Infection of the uterus. Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhea Yellow fever.