Might
be
helpful when
reading old death certificates
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 oxyge
Atrophy --
Wasting
away
or diminishing in size.
Bad Blood
-- Syphilis
Bilious fever
--
Typhoid,
malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and
bile emesi
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
sicknes
Bone shave
-- Sciatica
Brain fever
--
Meningitis
Breakbone --
Dengue feve
Bright's
disease
-- Chronic
inflammatory disease of kidneys
Bronze John
--
Yellow fever
Bule --
Boil,
tumor or
swelling
Cachexy
--
Malnutrition
Cacogastric
--Upset stomach
Cacospysy
-- Irregular
puls
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
--
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
Consumption=Tuberculosis
or
T.B.
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, anorexi
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 labo
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
lesion
Extravasted blood --
Rupture of a
blood
vessel
Falling
sickness
-- Epileps
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 pu
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 bod
Heat stroke
--
Body temperature
elevates because of surrounding environment
emperature 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 --berculosis
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 diseas
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. 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
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
Rotanny fever --
(Child's
disease) ???
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 and nerve
pain
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.
Submitted by Jeannie Travis
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