Diseases & Other Ailments
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Enteriitis - 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
  • Hepatitus - 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
  • Hydrothroax - 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
  • Nepritis - Inflammation of kidneys
 
  • Palsy - Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles
  • Paroxysm - Convulsion
  • Pemphigus - Skin disease of watery blisters
  • Pericarditis - Inflammation of heart
  • Peritonotis - 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 tremers
  • 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
 


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