Archaic Disease Names
The table below shows some of the medical terms that you might come across when looking at old records. Some of these terms are fairly outdated while others are still in use.
The further back you go the more likely you are to discover causes of death such as "old age" or "senile heart".
Term ~ Description
Apoplexy ~ Stroke
Atrophy of liver ~ Any kind of wasting or diminshed function and could be applied to other organs
Bad blood ~ Syphilis
Blood poisoning ~ Septicemia
Bright's disease ~ Kidney disease
Chincough ~ Whooping cough
Consumption ~ Tuberculosis, pulmonary
Cretinism ~ Hypothyroidism, congenital
Croup ~ Hoarse croaking cough associated with inflammation of the larynx and trachea in children
Dropsy ~ Congestive heart failure or any other condition which leads to a build up of fluid (Oedema).
Fatty liver ~ Cirrhosis
General paralysis of the insane ~ Tertiary syphilis
Glandular fever ~ Mononucleosis
Grippe ~ Influenza (Flu)
Jail fever ~ Typhus
Kink ~ Fit of coughing or choking
Lock jaw ~ Tetanus
Lung fever ~ Tuberculosis
Plague/Black death ~ Bubonic plague
Podagra ~ Gout
Pott's disease ~ Tuberculosis of the spinal vertebrae
Phthisis ~ Wasting of the body or pulmonary tuberculosis
Quinsy ~ Acute suppurative tonsillitis; peritonsillar abscess. An acute inflammation of the tonsils with the formation of pus.
Scarlet Fever ~ Acute infectious fever caused by haemolytic streptococcus infection in the throat
Scrofula ~Tuberculosis of the neck lymph nodes
Toxemia of pregnancy ~ Eclampsia (high blood pressure & seizures)
From Another List
(Some are repeats)
Ague ~ Used to describe the recurring fever and chills of malarial infection
Aphonia ~ Laryngitis
Biliousness ~ Jaundice or other symptoms associated with liver disease
Camp Fever ~ Typhus
Canine Madness ~ Hydrophobia
Chlorosis ~ Iron deficiency anemia
Corruption ~ Infection
Coryza ~ A cold
Costiveness ~ Constipation
Cramp Colic ~ Appendicitis
Dropsy ~ Edema (swelling), sometimes caused by kidney or heart diseases
Dyspepsia ~ Acid indigestion
Extravasted Blood ~ Rupture of the blood vessel
Falling Sickness ~ Epilepsy
Flus of Humour ~ Circulation
French Pox ~ Venereal disease
Green Sickness ~ Anemia
Hip Gout ~ Osteomylitis
Jail Fever ~ Typhus
King's Evil ~ Scofula
Lues Venera ~ Venereal disease
Lumbago ~ Back pain
Lung Fever ~ Pneumonia
Lung Sickness ~ Tuberculosis
Mania ~ Insanity
Mortification ~ Infection
Mostalgia ~ Homesickness
Putrid Fever ~ Dipheria
Quinsy ~ Tonsillitis
Remitting Fever ~ Malaria
Sanguinous Crust ~ Scab
Scofula ~ Tubercular infection of lymph glands in throat
Ship's Fever ~ Typhus
Strangery ~ Rupture
Summer Complaint ~ Infant diarrhea caused by spoiled milk
Venesection ~ Bleeding
