Names of Old Time Illnesses

Compiled by Daniel H. Burrows

Reprinted coutesy of Genealogy Records Service
More information available FREE online
http://www.genrecords.com

Ablepsy
Ague
American plague
Anasarca
Aphonia
Aphtha
Apoplexy
Asphycsia/Asphicsia
Atrophy
Bad Blood
Bilious fever

Biliousness
Black plague
Black fever

Black pox
Black vomit
Blackwater fever
Bladder in throat
Blood poisoning
Bloody flux
Bloody sweat
Bone shave
Brain fever
Breakbone
Brights disease
Bronze John
Bule
Cachexy
Cacogastric
Cacospysy
Caduceus
Camp fever

Blindness
Malarial Fever
Yellow fever
Generalized massive edema
Laryngitis
The infant disease thrush
Paralysis due to stroke
Cyanotic and lack of oxygen
Wasting away or diminishing in
size.
Syphilis
Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or
elevated temperature and bile
emesis
Jaundice associated with liver
disease
Bubonic plague
Acute infection with high
temperature and dark red skin
lesions and high mortality rate
Black Small pox
Vomiting old black blood due to
ulcers or yellow fever
Dark urine associated with high
temperature
Diphtheria (Seen on death
certificates)
Bacterial infection; septicemia
Bloody stools
Sweating sickness
Sciatica
Meningitis
Dengue fever
Chronic inflammatory disease
of kidneys
Yellow fever
Boil, tumor or swelling
Malnutrition
Upset stomach
Irregular pulse
Subject to falling sickness or
epilepsy
Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea

Canine madness
Canker
Catalepsy
Catarrhal
Cerebritis
Chilblain
Child bed fever
Chin cough
Chlorosis
Cholera

Cholera morbus

Cholecystitus
Cholelithiasis
Chorea

Cold plague
Colic
Congestive chills
Consumption
Congestion
Congestive chills
Congestive fever
Corruption
Coryza
Costiveness
Cramp colic
Crop sickness
Croup
1

Rabies, hydrophobia
Ulceration of mouth or lips or
herpes simplex
Seizures/trances
Nose and throat discharge from
cold or allergy
Inflammation of cerebrum or
lead poisoning
Swelling of extremities caused
by exposure to cold
Infection following birth of a
child
Whooping cough
Iron deficiency anemia
Acute severe contagious diar
rhea with intestinal lining
sloughing
Characterized by nausea,
vomiting, abdominal cramps,
elevated temperature, etc.
Could be appendicitis
Inflammation of the gall
bladder
Gall stones
Disease characterized by con
vulsions, contortions and
dancing
Ague which is characterized by
chills
An abdominal cramping
Malaria
Tuberculosis
Any collection of fluid in an
organ, like the lungs
Malaria with diarrhea
Malaria
Infection
A cold
Constipation
Appendicitis
Overextended stomach
Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep
throat

Cyanosis
Cynanche
Cystitis
Day fever
Debility
Decrepitude
Delirium tremens
Dengue
Dentition
Deplumation
Diary fever
Diptheria
Distemper

Dock fever
Dropsy
Dropsy of the Brain
Dry Bellyache
Dyscrasy
Dysentery

Dysorexy
Dyspepsia
Dysury
Eclampsy
Ecstasy
Edema
Edema of lungs
Eel thing
Elephantiasis
Encephalitis
Enteric fever
Enterocolitis
Enteritis
Epitaxis
Erysipelas

bulbous lesions
Rupture of a blood vessel
Epilepsy
Cirrhosis of liver
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
Grocers 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 envi
ronment 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 charac
terized by pustules
Inanition
Physical condition resulting
from lack of food
Infantile paralysis
Polio
Intestinal colic
Abdominal pain due to bad diet
Jail fever
Typhus
Jaundice
Condition caused by blockage
of intestines
Kings evil
Tuberculosis of neck and lymph

Dark skin color from lack of

oxygen in blood
Diseases of throat
Inflammation of the bladder
Fever lasting one day; sweating
sickness
Lack of movement or staying in
bed
Feebleness due to old age
Hallucination due to alcoholism
Infectious fever endemic to East
Africa
Cutting of teeth
Tumor of the eyelids which
causes hair loss
A fever that lasts one day
Contagious disease of the throat
Usually animal disease with
malaise, discharge from nose
and throat, anorexia
Yellow fever
Edema (swelling), often caused
by kidney or heart disease
Encephalitis
Lead poisoning
An abnormal body condition
Inflammation of colon with
frequent passage of mucous and
blood
Reduced appetite
Indigestion and heartburn. Heart
attack symptoms
Difficulty in urination
Symptoms of epilepsy or
convultions during labor
A form of catalepsy
Nephrosis; swelling of tissues
Congestive heart failure, a form
of dropsy
Erysipelas
A form of leprosy
Swelling of brain; aka sleeping
sickness
Typhoid fever
Inflammation of the intestines
Inflations of the bowels
Nose bleed
Contagious skin disease, due to
Streptococci with vesicular

Extravasted blood
Falling sickness
Fatty Liver
Fits

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
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
Pericarditis
Peripneumonia
Peritonotis
Petechial Fever
Phthiriasis
Phthisis
Plague

Pleurisy
Podagra
PolioPotters asthma
Potts disease
Puerperal exhaustion
Puerperal fever

Puking fever
Putrid fever
Quinsy
Remitting fever
Rheumatism
Rickets
Rose cold
Rotanny fever
Rubeola
Sanguineous crust
Scarlatina
Scarlet fever
Scarlet rash
Sciatica
Scirrhus
Scotomy
Scriveners palsy
Screws
Scrofula

Skin disease of watery

blisters
Inflammation of heart
Inflammation of lungs
Inflammation of
abdominal area
Fever characterized by
skin spotting
Lice infestation
Chronic wasting away or
a name for tuberculosis
An acute febrile highly
infectious disease with a
high fatality rate
Any pain in the chest
area with each breath
Gout
Fibroid pthisis
Tuberculosis of spine
Death due to child birth
Elevated temperature
after giving birth to an
infant
Milk sickness
Diphtheria.
Tonsillitis.
Malaria
Any disorder associated
with pain in joints
Disease of skeletal
system
Hay fever or nasal
symptoms of an allergy
(Childs disease) ???
German measles
Scab
Scarlet fever
A disease characterized
by red rash
Roseola
Rheumatism in the hips
Cancerous tumors
Dizziness, nausea and
dimness of sight
Writers cramp
Rheumatism
Tuberculosis of neck
lymph glands.
Progresses slowly with
abscesses and pistulas

develop. Young persons 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
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. Anthonys 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
Strangers 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

Thrombosis
Thrush

Tick fever
Toxemia
Trench mouth

Tussis convulsiva
Typhus

Variola
Venesection
Vipers dance
Water on brain
White swelling
Winter fever
Womb fever
Worm fit

Yellowjacket

by high fever, headache and

dizziness
Blood clot inside blood vessel
Childhood disease characterized
by spots on mouth, lips and
throat
Rocky mountain spotted fever
Eclampsia
Painful ulcers found along gum
line, Caused by poor nutrition
and poor hygiene
Whooping cough
Infectious fever characterized
high fever, headache, and
dizziness
Smallpox
Bleeding
St. Vitus Dance
Enlarged head
Tuberculosis of the bone
Pneumonia
Infection of the uterus.
Convulsions associated with
teething, worms, elevated
temperature or diarrhea
Yellow fever.