Definitions of Some Diseases or Causes of Death

  • 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 Black 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, 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 - Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing

     
  • Colic - An abdominal pain and cramping

     
  • Congestive Chills - Malaria

     
  • 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 - Inflation of the bowels

     
  • Epitaxis - Nose bleed

     
  • Erysipelas - Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions

     
  • Extravasted Blood - Ruptureof 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. 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

     
  • Hydrothorax - 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 - Inflation 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

     
  • 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

     
  • 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 - 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