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 Some of these terms are fairly outdated while others are still in use.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".
List One
- Apoplexy
- Stroke
- Atrophy of liver
- Any kind of wasting or diminished function; 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 overlap with above)
- Ague
- 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
- Extravasated Blood
- Rupture of the blood vessel
- Falling Sickness
- Epilepsy
- Flux of Humour
- Circulation
- French Pox
- Venereal disease
- Green Sickness
- Anemia
- Hip Gout
- Osteomyelitis
- Jail Fever
- Typhus
- King's Evil
- Scrofula
- Lues Venera
- Venereal disease
- Lumbago
- Back pain
- Lung Fever
- Pneumonia
- Lung Sickness
- Tuberculosis
- Mania
- Insanity
- Mortification
- Infection
- Nostalgia
- Homesickness
- Putrid Fever
- Diphtheria
- 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