A
|
|
| A
ffrighted
|
Frightened
to death. Probably a stress-induced heart attack or stroke
|
| Ague
|
Any
intermittent fever characterised by periods of chills, fevers and sweats.
Most commonly identified as malaria.
|
| Apoplex
/ Apoplexy
|
Stroke
or the paralysis resulting from a stroke
|
B
|
|
| Bad
Blood
|
Syphilis
|
| Bilious
fever
|
A
term loosely applied to intestinal fevers and malarial fever.
|
| Black
Death
|
Bubonic
plague
|
| Bladder
In Throat
|
Diphtheria
|
| Bloody
Flux
|
Dysentery
involving a discharge of blood
|
| Brain
fever
|
Meningitis
or typhus
|
| Break
Bone Fever
|
Dengue
fever
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
C
|
|
| Camp
Diarrhoea
|
Typhus
|
| Camp
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Canine
Madness
|
Rabies
|
| Canker
|
A
severe, destructive, eroding ulcer of the cheek and lip. It commonly
followed one of the eruptive fevers and was often fatal.
|
| Child
Bed (Fever)
|
Infection
in the mother following birth of a child, probably due to staphylococcus
|
| Choak
|
Croup
|
| Cholera
Infantum
|
A
common, non-contagious diarrhoea of young children, occurring in summer or
autumn. Death frequently occurred in three to five days.
|
| Cholera
Morbus
|
Illness
with vomiting, abdominal cramps and elevated temperature. Possibly
appendicitis
|
| Cholera
|
An
acute, infectious disease characterised by profuse diarrhoea, vomiting,
and cramps. It is spread by faeces-contaminated water and food.
|
| Chorea
|
Involuntary
twitching of the muscles and uncoordinated movements.
|
| Chrisome
|
A
child in the first month of life
|
| Cold
Plague
|
Ague
characterised by chills
|
| Colic
|
Convulsive
pain in the abdomen or bowels.
|
| Commotion
|
Concussion
|
| Congestion
|
An
excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part
or blood vessel
|
| Congestive
Chills / Fever
|
Malaria
|
| Consumption
|
Tuberculosis
|
| Contagious
Pyrexia
|
Dysentery
|
| Corruption
|
General
term for infection
|
| Cow
Pox
|
A
non-fatal disease similar to smallpox, affecting
cattle and transmissible to humans. Used to produce the first
vaccinations.
|
| Cramp
Colic
|
Appendicitis
|
| Croup
|
Any
obstructive condition of the larynx or trachea, characterised by a hoarse,
barking cough and difficult breathing. It occurs chiefly in infants and
children.
|
| Cut
of the Stone |
The
surgical removal of a bladder stone. |
| Top
of Page
|
|
D
|
|
| Day
Fever
|
Fever
lasting one day
|
| Diphtheria
|
A
serious infectious disease that attacks any mucous membrane, although it
normally affects the throat or nose.
|
| Distemper
|
Disturbed
condition of the body or mind; ill health, illness; a mental or physical
disorder; a disease or ailment
|
| Dock
Fever
|
Yellow
fever
|
| Domestic
Illness
|
Mental
breakdown, depression
|
| Dropsy
|
Abnormal
swelling of the body or part of the body due to the build-up of clear
watery fluid
|
| Dropsy
of the Brain
|
Encephalitis
|
| Dysentery
|
A
term given to a number of disorders marked by inflammation of the large
intestine and attended by frequent stools containing blood and mucus
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
E
|
|
| Eclampsia
|
Historically
used as a general term for convulsions. Today identified with convulsions
arising from toxaemia accompanying pregnancy
|
| Eel
Thing
|
Erysipelas
|
| Effluvia
|
Exhalations
or emanations, applied especially to those of noxious character
|
| Emphysema
|
A
chronic, irreversible disease of the lungs, characterised by shortness of
breath, hacking cough, cyanosis and a "barrel-shaped" chest
|
| Enteric
fever
|
Typhoid
|
| Epilepsy
|
A
disorder of the nervous system, characterised either by mild, episodic
loss of attention or sleepiness or by severe convulsions with loss of
consciousness
|
| Ergot
|
A
fungal disease of edible grasses. When ingested, the fungus can infect
humans, producing either convulsions or gangrene.
|
| Erysipelas
|
An
acute streptococcal infection of the skin characterised by a spreading,
deep-red inflammation.
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
F
|
|
| Fainting
Fits
|
Probably
a euphemism for epilepsy
|
| Falling
Sickness
|
Epilepsy
|
| Fistula
|
An
unnatural communication between two different body structures.
|
| Flux
|
Dysentery
|
| French
Pox
|
Syphilis
|
| Frogg
|
Croup
|
| Furuncle
|
Boil
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
G
|
|
| Galloping
Consumption
|
Pulmonary
tuberculosis
|
| Gangrene
|
Massive
tissue death due to injury, disease, or failure of blood supply
|
| Gathering
|
A
collection of pus
|
| General
Paralysis of the Insane
|
Syphilis
affecting the brain
|
| Gout
|
Painful
inflammation caused by a build up of uric acid in the tissues.
|
| Great
Pox
|
Syphilis
|
| Green
Fever
|
Anaemia
|
| Green
Sickness
|
Anaemia
|
| Grip,
Gripe or Grippe
|
Influenza
|
| Grocer's
Itch
|
Skin
disease caused by mites in sugar or flour
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
H
|
|
| Hectic
fever
|
A
daily recurring fever with profound sweating, chills, and flushed
appearance, often associated with pulmonary tuberculosis or septic
poisoning.
|
| Hives
|
A
skin eruption of wheals that result from an allergic reaction.
Severe allergic reaction can cause death from anaphylactic shock.
|
| Horrors
|
Delirium
tremens
|
| Hospital
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Hydropsy
|
The
full name of dropsy
|
I
|
|
| Ichor
|
Leakage
of fluid from a sore or wound.
|
| Impostume
|
Abscess
|
| Infantile
Paralysis
|
Poliomyelitis
(polio)
|
| Intermittent
Fever
|
Illness
marked by episodes of fever with return to completely normal temperature;
usually malaria.
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
J
|
|
| Jail
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Jawfaln
|
Literally
a fallen jaw also referred to as a locked jaw. Possibly tetanus.
|
K
|
|
| King’s
evil
|
Scrofula
|
| Kink
|
Fit
of coughing or choking
|
L
|
|
| Leprosy
|
A
chronic bacterial disease affecting mainly skin and nerves. If
untreated, there can be progressive and permanent damage to the skin,
nerves, limbs and eyes
|
| Livergrown |
Possibly
Rickets. John Graunt observed that Bills or
Mortality showing many deaths from Rickets showed few or none Livergrown
and vice versa. |
| Lockjaw
|
Tetanus
|
| Long
Sickness
|
Tuberculosis
|
| Lung
Fever
|
Pneumonia
|
| Lung
Sickness
|
Tuberculosis
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
M
|
|
| Malignant
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Malignant
Pustule
|
Anthrax
|
| Malignant
Sore Throat
|
Diphtheria
|
| Melancholia
|
Severe
depression
|
| Membranous
Croup
|
Diphtheria
|
| Meagrom,
Megrim
|
A
severe headache, often limited to one side of the head
|
| Miasma
|
Poisonous
vapours thought to infect the air and cause disease
|
| Milk
Fever
|
Short
lived fever which sometimes accompanies lactation, probably a
staphylococcus infection
|
| Milk
Leg
|
Thrombosis
of veins in the thigh usually seen after childbirth
|
| Morbilli
|
Measles
|
| Morbus
Cordis
|
Heart
disease. A catch-all phrase for death by natural causes when the exact
cause was not evident
|
| Mormal
|
Gangrene
|
| Morphew
|
Blisters
resulting from scurvy
|
| Mortification
|
Gangrene,
necrosis
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
N
|
|
| Necrosis
|
The
death of tissue
|
O
|
|
| Oedema
|
Fluid
retention, dropsy
|
P
|
|
| Palsy
|
Paralysis
or difficulty with muscle control
|
| Paroxysm
|
Convulsion
|
| Pernicious
Anaemia
|
Anaemia
caused by vitamin B12 deficiency
|
| Pertussis
|
Whooping
cough
|
| Phthisis
|
Tuberculosis
|
| Pink
Disease
|
Disease
of teething infants due to mercury poisoning from teething powders
|
| Plague
|
Any infectious disease with a high mortality rate, although will often
mean bubonic plague
|
| Planet-struck
|
Any
sudden severe affliction or paralysis
|
| Pleurisie
/ Pleurisy
|
Inflammation
of the pleura, the membranous sac lining the chest cavity. Symptoms are
chills, fever, dry cough, and pain in the affected side.
|
| Pneumonia
|
Inflammation
of the lungs with congestion or consolidation
|
| Porphyria
|
Rare
metabolic disturbance that may cause mental damage in young children. It
produces convulsions and delirium.
|
| Potter's
Asthma
|
Tuberculosis
|
| Pox
|
Syphilis
|
| Puerperal
Exhaustion
|
Death
due to childbirth
|
| Puerperal
Fever
|
Infection
after giving birth, probably a staphylococcus infection
|
| Puking
Fever
|
Milk
sickness
|
| Purples
|
This
is a rash due to spontaneous bleeding in to the skin. It may be a symptom
of some severe illnesses, including bacterial endocarditis and
cerebrospinal meningitis.
|
| Putrid
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Putrid
sore throat
|
Ulceration
of an acute form, attacking the tonsils
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
Q
|
|
| Quinsy
|
An
acute inflammation of the tonsils, often leading to an abscess
|
R
|
|
| Rag-Picker's
Disease
|
Anthrax
|
| Remitting
Fever
|
Malaria
|
| Rising
Of The Lights
|
Generally
considered to be croup. However, the Oxford English Dictionary defines it
as hysteria and John Graunt suggests that it
may be an inflammation of the liver, similar to livergrown (q.v.)
|
S
|
|
| Scarlet
fever or Scarlet Rash
|
An
infectious fever, characterised by a widespread scarlet eruption
|
| Scouring
or scowring
|
Purging
of the bowels, probably diarrhoea or dysentery
|
| Screws
|
Rheumatism
|
| Scrivener's
Palsy
|
Writer's
cramp
|
| Scrofula
or scrofula fugax
|
Primary
tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, especially
those in the neck. A disease of children and young adults, it represents a
direct extension of tuberculosis into the skin from underlying lymph
nodes. It evolves into cold abscesses, multiple skin ulcers, and draining
sinus tracts.
|
| Scrofula
mesenterica
|
An
internal non-pulmonary tuberculosis,
resulting in a swollen abdomen, loss of appetite and a pale complexion
|
| Scrofula
vulgaris
|
An
itchy rash associated with hospitals. Most probably a streptococcal
infection
|
| Scurvy
|
A
disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency
|
| Ship
fever
|
Typhus
|
| Sloes
|
Milk
sickness
|
| Small
Pox
|
Highly
infectious viral disease producing pustules.
|
| Softening
of the Brain
|
Stroke
|
| Sore
Throat Distemper
|
Diphtheria
or quinsy
|
| Spanish
Disease
|
Syphilis
|
| Spanish
Influenza
|
The
variant of influenza that was responsible for
the 1918 pandemic
|
| Spotted
fever
|
Meningitis
or typhus
|
| St
Anthony's Fire
|
Skin
disease caused by toxins from ergot infection. Sometimes used for erysipelas
and other diseases producing a reddening of the skin.
|
| St
Vitus Dance
|
Chorea
|
| Strangury
|
Painful
urination. It may occur after labour, but is more often the result of
disease in the bladder or urethra.
|
| Stuffing
|
Croup
|
| Surfet
or surfeit
|
Vomiting
from over eating or gluttony
|
| Swamp
Sickness
|
Malaria,
typhoid or encephalitis
|
| Sweating
Sickness
|
Infectious
and often fatal disease affecting England in the 15th century
|
| Top
of Page
|
|
T
|
|
| Teeth
|
Death
of an infant when teething. Children appear to have been more susceptible
to infection during this time, although malnutrition from being fed
watered milk has also been suggested as a cause.
|
| Tetanus
|
An
infectious, often-fatal disease characterised by respiratory paralysis and
tonic spasms and rigidity of the voluntary muscles, especially those of
the neck and lower jaw. The bacterium enters the body through wounds.
|
| Thrush
|
A
disease characterised by whitish spots and ulcers on the membranes of the
mouth, tongue, and throat caused by a parasitic fungus. Thrush usually
affects sick, weak infants and elderly individuals in poor health
|
| Tissick
|
Cough
|
| Typhoid
|
Typhoid fever is contracted when people eat
food or drink water that has been infected. It is recognized by the sudden
onset of sustained fever, severe headache, nausea and severe loss of
appetite. It is sometimes accompanied by hoarse cough and constipation or
diarrhoea
|
| Tympany
|
A
swelling or tumour
|
| Typhus
|
An
acute, infectious disease transmitted by lice and fleas
|
W
|
|
| Wolf
|
A
rapidly expanding growth, probably a malignant tumour
|
| Worm
Fit
|
Convulsions
associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhoea
|
