MtMan-List: Old Medical Terms for Cause of Death (fwd)

[Dean Rudy <drudy@xmission.com>]

Forwarded message:
>From w.metcalfe@usa.net  Sun Jul 19 21:32:04 1998
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From: "William Metcalfe" <w.metcalfe@usa.net>
To: <drudy@xmission.com>
Subject: Old Medical Terms for Cause of Death
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 21:38:10 -0600
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Dean,

Thought the Discussion Group might find this information useful.  I'm =
not currently subscribed.

__
William Metcalfe
w.metcalfe@usa.net


-----Original Message-----
From: FIWATROUS@aol.com <FIWATROUS@aol.com>
To: WATERS-L@rootsweb.com <WATERS-L@rootsweb.com>
Date: Saturday, July 18, 1998 1:20 PM
Subject: Old Medical Terms for Cause of Death


>An aid to deciphering old death certificates.=20
>(gleaned from another List)
>
>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 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, 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   =20
>          temperature and body does not perspire to reduce temperature. =
Coma =20
>          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=20
>          jaw. Untreated, it is fatal in 8 days
>Lung 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 =20
>           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 =20
>          head
>Nostalgia - Homesickness
>
>Palsy - Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. It =
was
>listed  =20
>           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
>Peurperal 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 pustulas develop. Young person's disease. Possibly =
chicken pox
>Scrumpox - Skin disease, impetigo
>Scurvy - Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and  =20
>          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=20
>           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
>
>