WHAT AILED THEM?
Did you ever wonder what your ancestors
suffered from?
The old records provide the
words to what ailed them
but not the definitions. Hopefully
this list will help
us to clear up a few mysteries.
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 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; 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 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 - Ague which
is characterized by chills
Colic - An abdominal pain
and cramping
Congestive chills - Malaria
Consumption - Tuberculosis
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 bladde
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
Devil's Grip - Pleurisy
/ bronchitis
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 vesicular 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 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
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 - 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
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
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 - Polio
Potter'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 j
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.
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 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
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.
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