Diseases have changed over the years, at least some of the names have?
These were compiled from various Rootsweb mail lists, my own research, etc.
Bettie Wood
Where’d They Go?
DISEASES & DESCRIPTION
Ablepsy – Blindness
American Plague – Yellow fever
Aphonia – Laryngitis
Apoplexy – Paralysis due to stroke
Ascites – Cancer of the ovaries
Bad Blood – Syphilis
Bilious Fever – Over production of bile by the liver; Characterized by indigestion, nausea, dullness, dizziness, or other disorders
Black Plague/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
Bone Shave – Sciatica
Brain Fever – Meningitis
Bright’s Disease – Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys
Bronchitis – Inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, characterized by a cough
Bronze John – Yellow fever
Bule – Boil, tumor or swelling
Camp fever – Typhus, Camp diarrhea
Catalepsy – Seizures/Trances
Cerebritis – Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning
Child Bed Fever – Infection following birth of a child
Chin Cough – Whooping cough
Cholera – Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing
Chorea – Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing
Cold Plague – Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing
Colic – An abdominal pain and cramping
Congestion – Too much blood gathering in one part of the body
Congestive Chills – Malaria
Congestive Fever – Malaria Consumption
Consumption – Tuberculosis
Convulsions – Spasms; Involuntary contracting & relaxing of the muscles
Corruption – Infection
Cramp Colic – Appendicitis
Crop Sickness – Overextended stomach
Croup – Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat
Day Fever – Fever lasting one day, sweating sickness
Debility – Lack of movement or staying in bed
Decrepitude – Feebleness due to old age
Dentition – Teething
Diphtheria – 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
Dysentery – Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood
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
Elephantiasis – A form of leprosy
Encephalitis – Swelling of brain, aka sleeping sickness
Enteric Fever – Typhoid fever
Enteritis – An inflammation of the small or large intestine characterized by diarrhea, cramps, loss of appetite, and loss of weight; caused by food poisoning, typhoid, or dysentery
Epilepsy – A chronic nervous disease whose attacks cause convulsions & sometimes unconsciousness
Falling Sickness – Epilepsy
Fits – Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity
Flux – An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea
French Pox – Syphilis
Gathering – A collection of pus
Gravel – A small hard substance formed in the bladder & kidneys
Great pox – Syphilis
Green Fever – Anemia
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
Hepatitis – An inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or poor sanitation
Hives – Characterized by itchy (& red patches) skin
Horrors – Delirium tremens
Hydrocephalus – Enlarged head, water on the brain
Hydrophobia – Rabies
Hydrothorax – Dropsy in chest
Hypertrophic – Enlargement of organ, like the heart
Impetigo – Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules
Inanition – Weakness from a lack of food
Infantile Paralysis – Polio
Jail Fever – Typhus
Jaundice – Condition caused by blockage of intestines; causes yellowness of the skin, eyes, & body fluids, & disturbed vision
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
Lumbago – Back pain
Lung Fever – Pneumonia
Lung Sickness – Tuberculosis
Malaria – Characterized by periodic chills followed by fever & sweating
Malignant Sore Throat/Membranous Croup – Diphtheria
Mania – Insanity
Measles – An infectious disease characterized by a bad cold, fever, & a breaking out of small red spots on the skin
Meningitis – Inflation of brain or spinal cord
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
Mortification – Gangrene of necrotic tissue
Necrosis – Mortification of bones or tissue
Nephrosis – Kidney degeneration
Nephritis – Inflammation of kidneys
Palsy – Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles
Paroxysm – Convulsion
Pemphigus – Skin disease of watery blisters
Pericarditis – Inflammation of heart
Peritonitis – Inflammation of abdominal area
Phthiriasis – Lice infestation
Plague – An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate
Pleurisy – Any pain in the chest area with each breath
Pneumonia – Sickness resulting in the inflammation of the lungs
Poliomyelitis – PolioPotter’s asthma – Fibroid pthisis
Pott’s Disease – Tuberculosis of spine
Puerperal Fever – Fever related to childbirth
Puking Fever – Milk sickness
Putrid Fever – Diphtheria
Quinsy – Tonsillitis
Remittent Fever – Fever that lessens at intervals
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
Scarlatina – Scarlet fever
Scarlet Fever – A disease characterized by red rash
Scarlet Rash – Roseola
Sciatica – Rheumatism in the hips
Screws – Rheumatism
Scrofula – Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pistulas develop. Young person’s disease.
Scurvy – Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin
Septicemia – Blood poisoning
Shakes – Delirium tremors
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
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
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
Syphilis – A contagious venereal disease
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
Trench Mouth – Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene
Tussis Convulsiva – Whooping cough
Typhoid – Fever with intestinal inflammation, caused by a germ taken into the body with food or drink
Typhus – Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness
Variola – Smallpox
Viper’s Dance – St. Vitus Dance
Water on Brain – Enlarged head
White Swelling – Tuberculosis of the bone
Whooping Cough – Coughing fits that end with a loud, gasping sound
Winter Fever – Pneumonia
Womb Fever – Infection of the uterus
Worm – A disease caused by worms in the body
Worm Fit – Convulsions associated with teething, worms elevated temperature or diarrhea
Yellowjacket – Yellow fever