Old Disease Names By Sylvain Cazalet �sculapius: The Roman god of healing. Ague: Usually malaria but can be any feverish illness with fits of shivering. Ainhum: Stricture resulting from minor cuts at the base of a digit eventually resulting in amputation. Aleppo Boil: Leishmaniasis. Albuminuria: Presence of protein in the urine. Found in many kidney diseases e.g. Diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy, glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome. Amaurosis: Blindness (partial or complete). Amenorrhoea: Absence of menstruation. Usually applied to the reproductive years, so the usual cause is pregnancy. American plague: Yellow fever. Anasarca: Generalized massive edema. Generalised massive dropsy. Ancome: A whitlow, an ulcerous swelling. Aneurysm: A local ballooning of a blood vessel. Usually an artery. Angina: Literally means choking. Often used for angina pectoris i.e. pain from the heart. Anthracosis: Lung disease caused by inhalation of coal dust. A form of pneumoconiosis.

Aphonia: Laryngitis. Aphtha: The infant disease "thrush". Apoplex / Apoplexy: Paralysis due to stroke. Ascites: Dropsy. Abnormal collection of fluid within the abdomen. Often due to liver disease, especially secondary cancer, but can result from heart or kidney failure. Asphycsia/Asphicsia: Cyanotic and lack of oxygen. Ataxia: Inability to co-ordinate movement i.e. Clumsiness. Atheroma: Slow degeneration of arteries when fatty deposits collect on the inner lining. Atrophy: Wasting away or diminishing in size. Bad Blood: Syphilis. Barber's Itch: Infection of the hair follicles of the beard area. May be impetigo. Bilious fever: A term loosely applied to intestinal fevers and malarial fever. Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis. Biliousness: Jaundice associated with liver disease. A complex of symptoms comprising nausea, abdominal discomfort, headache, and constipation�formerly attributed to excessive secretion of bile from the liver. Black Death: Bubonic plague.

Black fever: Acute infection with high temperature and dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate. Black plague: Bubonic plague. 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. Severe form of malaria in which the urine contains so much blood it appears black. Bladder In Throat: Diphtheria. Boil: An abscess of skin or painful, circumscribed inflammation of the skin or a hair follicle, having a dead, pus-forming inner core, usually caused by a staphylococcal infection. Synonym: furuncle. Bloody Flux: Dysentery involving a discharge of blood. Bloody stools. Blood poisoning: Bacterial infection; septic�mia. Bloody sweat: Sweating sickness. Brain fever: Meningitis or typhus. Breakbone: Dengue fever. Break Bone Fever: Dengue fever. Bright's disease: Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys. Bronze John: Yellow fever. Brucellosis: Disease resulting from drinking contaminated milk. Causes a feverish illness of variable duration often with joint problems and frequently depression.

Bubo: Inflamed, enlarged or painful gland in the groin. A symptom of bubonic plague. Bule: Boil, tumor or swelling. Bursa: Small sac (closed bag) made of fibrous tissue and filled with a fluid. Usually occur close to a joint and allow moving surfaces like bones and tendons to move around each other with less friction. Cach�mia: Any blood disease. Cachexy: Malnutrition. Caduceus: Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy. Camp Diarrh�a: Typhus. Typhoid fever. Camp fever: Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea. Cancrum Oris: A severe, destructive, eroding ulcer of the cheek and lip, rapidly proceeding to sloughing. In the last century it was seen in delicate, ill-fed, ill-tended children between the ages of two and five. The disease was the result of poor hygiene acting upon a debilitated system. It commonly followed one of the eruptive fevers and was often fatal.

The destructive disease could, in a few days, lead to gangrene of the lips, cheeks, tonsils, palate, tongue, and even half the face; teeth would fall from their sockets, and a horribly fetid saliva flowed from the parts. Synonyms: canker, water canker, noma, gangrenous stomatitis, gangrenous ulceration of the mouth. Candida: Thrush � a fungal infection. Canine Madness: Rabies, hydrophobia. Canker: A severe, destructive, eroding ulcer of the cheek and lip. It commonly followed one of the eruptive fevers and was often fatal. Ulceration of mouth or lips or herpes simplex. Carbuncle: A large boil. Skin cancer or other tumour. Carcinoma: Cancer. Catalepsy: Seizures / trances. Catamenia: The menstrual discharge or menstruation. Catarrh: Inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially of the air passages of the head and throat, with a free discharge. It is characterised by cough, thirst, lassitude, fever, watery eyes, and increased secretions of mucus from the air passages.

Bronchial catarrh was bronchitis; suffocative catarrh was croup; urethral catarrh was gleet; vaginal catarrh was leukorrhea; epidemic catarrh was the same as influenza. Synonyms: cold, coryza. Catarrhal: Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy. Catarrhal bronchitis: Acute bronchitis. Cerebritis: Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning. Chalkstones: Skin swellings near joints seen in gout - Tophus ; Rheumatoid arthritis or nodules. Child Bed (Fever): Infection in the mother following birth of a child, probably due to staphylococcus. Chilblain: Malaria. Chill fever: Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold. Chin cough: Whooping cough. Chloasma: Brownish freckly discolouration of the skin. Mostly seen in pregnancy. Chlorosis: Iron deficiency anemia. Cholecystitus: Inflammation of the gall bladder. Cholelithiasis: Gall stones.

Cholera: An acute, infectious disease characterised by profuse diarrh�a, vomiting, and cramps. It is spread by f�ces-contaminated water and food. Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing. Cholera Infantum: A common, non-contagious diarrh�a 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, etc. Possibly appendicitis. Chorea: Involuntary twitching of the muscles and uncoordinated movements. Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing. Chrisome: A child in the first month of life. Cold Plague: Ague characterised by chills. Colic: Convulsive pain in the abdomen or bowels. An abdominal pain and cramping. Commotion: Concussion. Congestion: An excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel. Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs. Congestive chills: Malaria with diarrhea. Congestive fever: Malaria. Consumption: Tuberculosis.

A wasting away of the body; formerly applied especially to pulmonary tuberculosis. The disorder is now known to be an infectious disease caused by the bacterial species Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Synonyms: marasmus (in the mid-nineteenth century), phthisis. Contagious Pyrexia: Dysentery. Corruption: General term for infection. Coryza: A cold. Costiveness: Constipation. Cow Pox: A non-fatal disease similar to smallpox, affecting cattle and transmissible to humans. Used to produce the first vaccinations. Cramp Colic: Appendicitis. Crop sickness: Overextended stomach. 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. Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat. Cut of the Stone: The surgical removal of a bladder stone. 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. Decubitis: Died in bed. Delirium tremens: Hallucinations due to alcoholism. Results from alcoholic intoxication and is represented by a picture of confusion, terror, restlessness and hallucinations. Commonly know as �the DTs�. Dengue: Infectious fever endemic to East Africa. Dentition: Cutting (eruption) of teeth. Deplumation: Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss. Diary fever: A fever that lasts one day. Diphtheria: A serious infectious disease that attacks any mucous membrane, although it normally affects the throat or nose. Contagious disease of the throat. Distemper: Disturbed condition of the body or mind; ill health, illness; a mental or physical disorder; a disease or ailment. Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia. 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. Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease.

Dropsy of the Brain: Encephalitis. Dry Bellyache: Lead poisoning. Dyscrasy: An abnormal body condition. 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. Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood. Dysorexy: Reduced appetite. Dyspepsia: Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms. Dysphasia: Difficulty in speech. Dysury: Difficulty in or painful urination. E Eclampsia: Historically used as a general term for convulsions. Today identified with convulsions arising from tox�mia accompanying pregnancy. 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. Effluvia: Exhalations or emanations, applied especially to those of noxious character. Elephantiasis: A form of leprosy.

Swelling of a limb caused by lymphatic obstruction. Leads to thickening of the skin (pachyderma) often used as a synonym for filariasis but may result from syphilis or recurring streptococcal infection (elephantiasis nostra). Emphysema: A chronic, irreversible disease of the lungs, characterised by shortness of breath, hacking cough, cyanosis and a "barrel-shaped" chest. Encephalitis: Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness. Enteric fever: Typhoid fever. Enterocolitis: Inflammation of the intestines. Enteritis: Inflations of the bowels. 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. Epitaxis: Nose bleed. Epithelioma: Cancer of the skin. 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.

Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions. Extravasted blood: Rupture of a blood vessel. Fainting Fits: Probably a euphemism for epilepsy. Falling Sickness: Epilepsy. Fatty Liver: Cirrhosis of liver. Foetor Oris: Bad breath. Fibrinous Bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis ; Possibly asthma. Fistula: An unnatural communication between two different body structures. Fits: Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity. Flux: Dysentery. An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea. Flux of humour: Circulation. Foramen : Medical term for a hole. French Pox: Syphilis. Hemiplegy: Paralysis of one side of body. Hip gout: Osteomylitis. Hives: A skin eruption of wheals that result from an allergic reaction. Severe allergic reaction can cause death from anaphylactic shock. Horrors: Delirium tremens. Hydrocephalus: Enlarged head, water on the brain. Hydropericardium: Heart dropsy.

Hydropsy: The full name of dropsy. Hydrothroax: Dropsy in chest. Hypertrophic: Enlargement of organ, like the heart. Ichor: Leakage of fluid from a sore or wound. Impetigo: Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules. Impostume: Abscess. Inanition: Physical condition resulting from lack of food. Infantile Paralysis: Poliomyelitis (polio). Intermittent Fever: Illness marked by episodes of fever with return to completely normal temperature; usually malaria. Intestinal colic: Abdominal pain due to improper diet. Ischaemia: Deficient blood supply to an organ. King�s evil: Scrofula. Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands. Kink: Fit of coughing or choking. Kruchhusten: Whooping cough. L La grippe: Influenza. 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. Lientery: Diarrhoea in which the faeces contain undigested food. Livergrown: Possibly Rickets.

John Graunt (2) observed that Bills or Mortality showing many deaths from Rickets showed few or none Livergrown and vice versa. Lockjaw: Tetanus, a disease in which the jaws become firmly locked together. Synonyms: trismus, tetanus. Locomotor Ataxia: Disease of the nervous system which results in inability to walk. Long Sickness: Tuberculosis. Marasmus: Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition. Meagrom, Megrim: A severe headache, often limited to one side of the head. Medulla: The marrow in the centre of a long bone. The soft internal portion of glands. Eg. Kidney, lymph nodes, thymus. Melancholia: Severe depression. Membranous Croup: Diphtheria. Meningitis: Inflations of brain or spinal cord. Mesentery: A large fold of peritoneum, passing between a portion of intestine and the posterior abdominal wall. Meteorism: Flatulent distension of the abdomen with gas in the gut. Metritis: Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge. Miasma: Poisonous vapours thought to infect the air and cause disease.

Milk Fever: Short lived fever which sometimes accompanies lactation, probably a staphylococcus infection. Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis. Milk Leg: Thrombosis of veins in the thigh usually seen after childbirth. Post partum thrombophlebitis. Milk sickness: Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds. Morbilli: Measles. Morbus Addisonii: Addison's Disease. 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. Scurvy blisters on the body. Mortification: Gangrene, necrotic tissue. Myelitis: Inflammation of the spine. Myocarditis: Inflammation of heart muscles. Necrosis: The death of tissue. Mortification of bones or tissue. Nephrosis: Kidney degeneration. Nervous prostration: Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities. Nettle Rash: Urticaria.

Neuralgia: Described as discomfort, such as "Headache" was neuralgia in head. Nostalgia: Homesickness. Pachyderma: Thickening of the skin. Palsy: Paralysis or difficulty with muscle control. Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. Paralysis Agitants: Parkinson's disease. Parenchyma: The tissue that performs the function of an organ as opposed to the tissue that provide support (this is called the stroma). Paroxysm: Convulsion. Parturition: Labour or the process of childbirth. Pemphigus: Skin disease of watery blisters. Pericarditis: Inflammation of heart. Peritonitis: Inflammation of abdominal area. Pernicious An�mia: An�mia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Pertussis: Whooping cough. Petechial Fever: Fever characterized by skin spotting. Peurperal exhaustion: Death due to child birth. Phlegmasia Alba Dolens: Thrombosis of veins in the thigh usually seen after childbirth. Phthiriasis: Lice infestation. Phthisis: Tuberculosis.

Chronic wasting away or a name for 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. An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate. 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. Any pain in the chest area with each breath. 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. Podagra: Gout. Poliomyelitis: PolioPotter's asthma - Fibroid pthisis. Pott's disease: Tuberculosis of the spinal vertebr�. Potter's Asthma: Tuberculosis. Puerperal Exhaustion: Death due to childbirth. Puerperal Fever: Infection after giving birth to an infant, 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. Purpura: This is a rash due to spontaneous bleeding in to the skin i.e. bruises. There are many causes. The age of the victim would be relevant. Putrid fever: Typhus. Diphtheria. Putrid sore throat: Ulceration of an acute form, attacking the tonsils. Py�mia: A condition in which collection of pyogenic bacteria circulate in the blood at intervals producing abscesses wherever they lodge. Pyelitis: Inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney. Pyrexia: dysentery. Sanguineous crust: Scab. Scarlatina: Scarlet fever. Scarlet fever (Scarlet Rash): An infectious fever, characterised by a widespread scarlet eruption. A disease characterized by red rash. Scarlet rash: Roseola. Sciatica: Rheumatism in the hips. Scirrhus: Cancerous tumors. Scotomy: Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight.

Scouring or scowring: Purging of the bowels, probably diarrh�a 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. Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pustulas develop. Young person's disease. Possibly chicken pox. 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. Scrumpox: Skin disease, impetigo. Scurvy: A disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin. Septicemia: Blood poisoning.

Shingles: Viral disease with skin blisters. Ship fever: Typhus. Siriasis: Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure. Sloes: Milk sickness. Small Pox: Highly infectious viral disease producing pustules. Contagious disease with fever and blisters. Softening of the Brain: Stroke. 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 Disease: Syphilis. Spanish Influenza: The variant of influenza that was responsible for the 1918 pandemic. Epidemic influenza. Spasms: Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, like a convulsion. Spina bifida: Deformity of spine. Splenic fever: Anthrax in animals. Spotted fever: Meningitis or typhus. Either typhus or meningitis. Spring nettle: Urticaria or Nettle rash. Sprue: Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders and sore throat. 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. Also erysipelas, but named so because of affected skin areas are bright red in appearance. St Vitus Dance: Chorea. Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntary. Stomatitis: Inflammation of the mouth. Stranger's fever: Yellow fever. Strangery: Rupture ; painful desire to urinate. Strangury: Painful urination. It may occur after labour, but is more often the result of disease in the bladder or urethra. Strophulus: Sweat rash ; prickly heat. Strumous: Swollen (tissue or organ). Stuffing: Croup. 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. 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. Sycosis Barb�: Infection of the hair follicles of the beard area. Syringitis: Inflammation of the Eustachian tube. T Tabes Dorsalis: Syphilis of the spinal cord. Tabes mesenterica: Tuberculosis of the mesenteric glands in children, resulting in digestive derangement and wasting of the body. 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. Teething: The entire process which results in the eruption of the teeth. Nineteenth-century medical reports stated that infants were more prone to disease at the time of teething. Symptoms were restlessness, fretfulness, convulsions, diarrh�a, and painful and swollen gums. The latter could be relieved by lancing over the protruding tooth. Often teething was reported as a cause of death in infants. Perhaps they became susceptible to infections, especially if lancing was performed without antisepsis.

Another explanation of teething as a cause of death is that infants were often weaned at the time of teething; perhaps they then died from drinking contaminated milk, leading to an infection, or from malnutrition if watered-down milk was given. Tenesmus: Painful and unsuccessful desire to defaecate ; cramp form the muscles of the anal sphincter. 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. Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness. Thrombosis: Blood clot inside blood vessel. 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. Tinea Sycosis: Infection of the hair follicles of the beard area. Tissick: Cough. Trench mouth: Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene. Tussis convulsiva: Whooping 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 diarrh�a. Tympany: A swelling or tumour. Typhus: An acute, infectious disease transmitted by lice and fleas. Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness. White swelling: Tuberculosis of the bone. Winter fever: Pneumonia. Wolf: A rapidly expanding growth, probably a malignant tumour. Womb fever: Infection of the uterus. Worm Fit: Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrh�a. Y Yellow fever: An acute, often-fatal, infectious febrile disease of warm climates�caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, especially Aledes �gypti, and characterised by liver damage and jaundice, fever, and protein in the urine. In 1900 Walter Reed and others in Panama found that mosquitoes transmit the disease. Clinicians in.

the late nineteenth century recognised "specific yellow fever" as being different from "malarious yellow fever." The latter supposedly was a form of malaria with liver involvement but without urine involvement. Yellowjacket: Note: (1) Most of the definitions of diseases in the glossary that follows are from medical dictionaries or medical texts compiled at different points in the nineteenth century. While I have tried to submit the best-possible interpretation of these terms, there are certainly other interpretations which may be valid. I don't guarantee that all definitions are 100% correct. (2) John Graunt, Citizen of London, published his 'Natural and Political Observations ... made upon the Bills of Mortality' in 1662. Other sources online: Glossary of Archaic Medical Terms: World Book Medical Encyclopedia: Old Disease Names: Glossary of Old Medical Terms GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL TERMS USED IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES The following glossary of medical terms was assembled as part of a project on medicine from 1760-1830 but it includes some terms from a wider period.

I have drawn on several sources, including, with the permission of the author, Medical Terms used in the late 18th Century which appeared on a now obsolete web site written my Melanie McClusky. Information from Dr Johnson's Dictionary, first published in 1755, is shown in red. This gives the meaning of the terms as generally understood in the middle of the 18th century. Robert Hooper's Physician's Vade-Mecum, published in 1812 has been used as a source of terms in the early 19th century; many of the terms mentioned are still in common use. Encyclopaedia Britannica has also been used for some modern descriptions including the names of infectious organisms. Abortus fever: Brucellosis, a disease caught from cattle via milk resulting in a fever. Abscess: a swelling in soft tissue filled with pus caused by an infection, such as a boil. Acute: means a condition of recent origin whereas chronic means of long standing. Addison's disease: anaemic condition caused by kidney disease.

A disease characterised by severe weakness, low blood pressure, and a bronzed coloration of the skin, due to decreased secretion of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Thomas Addison (1793-1860) described the disease in 1855. Synonyms: Morbus addisonii, bronzed skin disease. Ague: malarial infection characterised by paroxysms (stages of chills, fever, and sweating at regularly recurring times) and followed by an interval or intermission of varying duration. Popularly, the disease was known as "fever and ague", "chill fever", "the shakes." An intermittent fever, with cold fits succeeded by hot. Ague fit: the paroxysm of the ague. See also malaria. Ague cake is a hardening of the spleen caused by malaria. Anaemia: lack of sufficient red blood cells, sometimes caused by iron deficiency and worsened by the medical practice of bleeding patients for virtually every condition. Also known as green fever, green sickness. See also chlorosis. Aneurysm: a ballooning of an artery caused by a weakened artery wall. Anascara: generalised dropsy. See dropsy.

Angina: means choking, angina pectoris is a pain in the chest caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries. Aphonia: laryngitis Apoplexy: paralysis caused by stroke. Sudden deprivation of all the internal and external sensation and of all motion unless of the heart and thorax. Aphthae: or Aphthous fever, see thrush. Aphthous stomatitis: mouth ulcer. See also canker. Ascites: a build up of fluid in the abdomen caused by heart failure or kidney disease. See also dropsy. Asthenia: see debility. Bilious fever: intestinal or malarial fevers. See also typhus. Biliousness: nausea, abdominal pains, headache, and constipation. Also jaundice associated with liver disease. Black Death or Black plague: bubonic plague, an infectious fever caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis transmitted by the rat flea.

The disease in man has three clinical forms: bubonic, in which there is swelling of the lymph nodes (buboes); pneumonic, in which the lungs are extensively involved; and septicaemia, in which the bloodstream is infected so rapidly that death occurs before the bubonic or pneumonic symptoms have appeared. The Black Death in Europe killed about one quarter of the population between 1347 and 1351. The Great Plague in England was 1664-1665 and is described in the diaries of Samuel Pepys. It killed 70,000 out of a population of 460,000 in the London area. Synonym: pestis. Black Jaundice: Wiel's disease, a bacterial infection of the liver carried by rats, which can affect farmers and sewage workers. Blood Poisoning: septicaemia, an infection throughout the body. Bloody flux: blood in the stools, see dysentery. Boil: an abscess of skin or painful inflammation of the skin or a hair follicle usually caused by a staphylococcal infection. Synonyms: furuncle, abscess.

Brain fever: see meningitis and typhus. Bright's Disease: Glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation). Richard Bright (1789-1858) was a colleague of Thomas Addison at Guy's hospital in London and described this condition in 1827. Bronchial asthma: a difficulty in breathing, caused by spasm of the bronchi i.e. the tubes of the lungs. Bronchial catarrh: acute bronchitis Cachexy: also cachexia, a wasting syndrome. Camp fever: see typhus. Cancer: a malignant and invasive growth or tumour. A virulent swelling or sore, not to be cured. Synonyms: malignant growth, carcinoma. Cancrum otis: an erosive ulcer of the cheek and lip resulting from poor hygiene. It was often seen in young children and could be fatal as it led to gangrene of the facial tissues. Synonyms: canker, water canker, noma, gangrenous stomatitis, gangrenous ulceration of the mouth. Canine madness: rabies or hydrophobia Canker: an ulcerous sore of the mouth and lips.

Possibly includes herpes simplex infections commonly known as cold sores. Synonym: aphthous stomatitis. See cancrum otis. It seems to have the same meaning and origin as cancer, but denotes bad qualities in a lesser degree. Cardiac insufficiency: where the heart is no longer able to pump efficiently. It may be a consequence of a heart attack or of damage to the valves. Carditis: inflammation of the heart. Catalepsy: seizure or a trance like state. Cataplasm: a poultice. Catarrh: inflammation of a mucous membranes of the head and throat, with a flow of mucous. Bronchial catarrh was bronchitis; suffocative catarrh was croup; urethral catarrh was gleet; vaginal catarrh was leukorrhea; epidemic catarrh was the same as influenza. Synonyms: cold, coryza. Catarrhal bronchitis is acute bronchitis. Cerebrospinal fever: See meningitis. Child bed fever: also known as puerperal fever is a form of septicaemia caused by lack of hygiene during the delivery of a baby.

It was widespread in hospital deliveries in the middle of the 19th century where it was spread by doctors from patient to patient until the importance of good hygiene was finally accepted. Chin cough: whooping cough or tussis convulsiva, mainly a disease of childhood associated with a strange sounding cough which often brings on vomiting. Synonyms: ching cough, pertussis, tussis convulsiva. (Tussis means cough; a cough medicine is an antitussive.) Chlorosis: anaemia from iron deficiency Cholera: an acute, infectious disease caused by Vibrio comma, characterised by profuse diarrhoea, vomiting, and cramps. Cholera is spread by faeces-contaminated water and food. Cholera was endemic in the east but did not reach England until late 1831 when it caused many deaths in the poorer parts of growing cities such as Manchester. It is commonly called Asiatic cholera as it spread from Asia across Europe in the late 1820s and early 1830s. Cholera infantum: a common, non-contagious diarrhoea of young children, occurring in summer or autumn.

It was common among the poor and in hand-fed babies i.e. babies who were fed on mixtures of bread or flour and water, possibly with admixture of cows' milk, which might be infected, or condensed milk, which was vitamin deficient. Such brews of "pap" in addition to being nutritionally inadequate were easily infected with bacteria. Death frequently occurred in three to five days. The introduction of nutritionally balanced dried milk for babies and proper disinfection of bottles and teats reduced infant mortality very markedly in Britain from about 1910 onwards. Synonyms: summer complaint, weaning brash, water gripes, choleric fever of children, cholera morbus. Chorea: a diseases of the nervous system, characterised by jerky movements chiefly of the face and extremities. Synonym: Saint Vitus' Dance. Chronic: of long standing as opposed to acute which means of recent origin. Colic: abdominal pain and cramp.

Renal colic can occur from disease in the kidney and affects the ureter; gallstone colic arises from stones in the bile duct.Strictly a disorder of the colon but loosely any disorder of the stomach or bowels that is attended with pain, also gripes and bellyache. Clyster: an enema Congestion: accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel for example congestion of the lungs in failing heart. In congestive fever the internal organs become gorged with blood. Congestive Fever: see malaria Consumption: a wasting away of the body; formerly applied especially to pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In physick, a waste of muscular flesh. It is frequently attended by a hectick fever and is divided by physicians into several kinds, according to the variety of its causes. Synonyms: marasmus (in the mid-nineteenth century), phthisis. Convulsions: violent, involuntary muscular contractions of the extremities, trunk, and head. An involuntary contraction of the fibres of the muscles, whereby the body and limbs are preternaturally distorted. See also epilepsy. Corruption: infection Coryza: a cold. See also catarrh.

Costiveness: constipation Cramp colic: appendicitis Creeping paralysis: a term that encompasses multiple sclerosis Croup: a spasmodic laryngitis seen mainly in children and associated with a cough and difficulties in breathing. In the early 19th century it was called cynanche trachealis. Synonyms: roup, hives, choak, stuffing, rising of the lights. Cynanche: inflammation of the throat. Cynanche maligna: putrid sore throat. Cynanche parotidaea: mumps. Cynanche pharyngaea: inflammation of the pharynx. Cynanche tonsillaris: inflammatory sore throat, See quinsy. Cynanche trachealis: See croup. Cyanosis: dark skin from lack of oxygenated blood. Cystitis: inflammation of the bladder. Debility: abnormal bodily weakness or feebleness; decay of strength. This was a term descriptive of a patient's condition and of no help in making a diagnosis. Synonym: asthenia. Delirium tremens: a nervous disorder involving muscular twitching and hallucinations caused by alcohol abuse. Also known as DT and the shakes.

Dementia praecox: schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterised by disordered thinking and auditory hallucinations. Diaphragmatitis: inflammation of the diaphragm. Diphtheria: an acute and often fatal infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract in which a membrane grows across the throat. The organism responsible is Corynebacterium diphtheriae which does not penetrate into the tissues. However, it produces toxins which are absorbed. Synonym: malignant sore throat, putrid fever, membranous croup. Dropsy: a swelling caused by accumulation of abnormally large amounts of fluid. Caused by kidney disease or congestive heart failure. William Withering was the first to describe the use of a foxglove (digitalis) in the treatment of dropsy. A collection of water in the body. An anascara, a species of dropsy, is an extravasation of water lodged in the cells of the membrana adiposa. (Dr. Johnson died of dropsy) Dysentery: inflammation of the intestine. There are two varieties: (1) amoebic dysentery (2) bacillary dysentery.

Synonyms: flux, bloody flux, contagious pyrexia (fever), frequent griping stools. Dr. Johnson defined it as a disease in which the excrements are mixed with blood. Dyspepsia: acid indigestion or heart burn. Eclampsia: a form of toxaemia accompanying pregnancy. Effluvia: exhalations. In the mid 19th century, they were called "vapours". Among the contagious effluvia were rubeolar (measles). Endocarditis: disease of the heart valves that can result from rheumatic fever. Enteric fever: see typhoid fever. Enteritis: inflammation of the bowel. Epilepsy: a disorder of the nervous system, with either mild and occasional loss of attention or sleepiness (petit mal) or by severe convulsions with loss of consciousness (grand mal). Commonly caused by oxygen starvation during a difficult birth. Synonyms: falling sickness, fits. Epistaxis: bleeding from the nose Erysipelas: a feverish disease characterised by intense deep red local inflammation of the skin caused by Streptococcus bacterium. Synonyms: Rose, Saint Anthony's Fire. Falling sickness: epilepsy.

Fistula: a sinous ulcer within. Johnson also quotes from Sharp's Surgery on fistula lachrymalis - "a disorder of the canals leading from the eye to the nose which disrupts the natural progress of the tears. The last and worst degree of it is when the matter of the eye, by its long continuance, has not only corroded the neighbouring soft parts but also affected the subjacent bone". Furuncle: see boil. French Pox: venereal disease, former name of syphilis. Johnson gives two meanings: pustules & many eruptive distempers and venereal disease. See also Syphilis. G.P.I: general paralysis of the insane. The third and final stage of syphilis which may not occur until many years after the primary phase. Gangrene: the decay of tissue, commonly the extremities, usually because of the failure of blood supply as in frost bite or as a complication of diabetes. Synonym: mortification. Gastritis: inflammation of the stomach. Gathering: an accumulation of pus. Gleet: see catarrh. Glossitis: inflammation of the tongue.

Goitre: swelling of the thyroid caused by shortage of iodine in the diet. Also known as Derbyshire neck. Gout: an arthritic disease marked by recurrent acute attacks of pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling around the joints and tendons caused by deposits of monosodium urate crystals. Most gout cases are characterised by hyperuricaemia, i.e. high levels of uric acid in the body, that cause crystals to be deposited in the joint area. Uric acid is a normal breakdown product of purine metabolism. Abnormally elevated blood levels of uric acid, which are associated with gouty arthritis, arise through either excessive production of uric acid or decreased excretion of uric acid by the kidneys. The condition was not helped by high consumption of meat and port wine! The arthritis, a periodical disease with great pain. Gravel: a disease characterised by small stones which are formed in the kidneys, passed along the ureters to the bladder, and expelled with the urine. See also stranguary. Synonym: kidney stone. Sandy matter concreted in the kidneys. Great pox: see syphilis Grippe: influenza, also La Grippe or grip.

Haematemesis: literally vomiting of blood. Haematuria: passing blood in the urine. Haemorrhoids: piles. Haemoptysis: spitting blood. Headmouldshot: this is when the sutures of the skull, generally the coronal, ride: that is, have their edges shot over one another; which is frequent in infants and occasions convulsions and death. Such injury would result from difficulties in childbirth. Ricketts caused by vitamin D deficiency in addition to causing bow legs also caused deformations of the pelvis. In a woman this could make child birth more difficult than usual. The obstetric forceps were introduced into more general use in the middle of the 18th century. Hectic fever: recurring fever with sweating, chills, and flushing. Hepatitis: inflammation of the liver. Hives: an allergic skin disorder, often attended by severe itching. Also called cynanche trachealis. Hip gout: osteomylitis Hydrocele: dropsy of the testicles Hydrocephalus: enlarged head from accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, water on the brain. Hydropericardium: collection of fluid around the heart resulting in constriction of the heart itself.

Hydrophobia: literally a fear of water which is a symptom of rabies. Hydrothorax: congestion of the lungs, see also dropsy. Hysteritis: inflammation of the womb. Icterus: see jaundice. Imposthume: a collection of purulent matter in a bag or cyst. Inanition: decline from inadequate nourishment; starvation. Infantile paralysis: poliomyelitis. Infection: long before Pasteur discovered that infections were caused by micro-organisms there was an appreciation that disease could be passed from person to person called the contagion theory. There was a competing theory that held that diseases were spread by bad smells, hence the use of scented posies to guard against plague. Both theories were inadequate but had some elements of truth in that the presence of a bad smell indicates rotting matter from which an infection might be transmitted by contaminated water or by flies to food. Other infections are passed by direct physical contact such as venereal disease and some by droplets in the air from coughs and sneezes such as pulmonary tuberculosis. See also miasma.

Inflammation: the classic definition comes from the Roman physician Celsus who described four symptoms - tumor (swelling), calor (heat), rubor (redness), and dolor (pain). Jail fever: see typhus. Jaundice: a yellow pigment deposited in the skin, whites of the eyes, and mucous membranes, caused by an increase of bile pigments in the blood. Synonym: icterus. A distemper from obstruction of the glands of the liver which prevents the gall from being duly separated from the blood. Kidney stone: see gravel. Kings evil: scrofula, a tubercular infection of the throat lymph glands. The name originated in the time of Edward the Confessor, with the belief that the disease could be cured by the touch of the king of England. A scrofulous distemper, in which the glands are ulcerated, commonly believed to be cured by the touch of a king. Dr. Johnson suffered from it as a boy and was touched for it by Queen Anne. She was the last monarch to touch for the King's evil. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the infected gland was lanced and drained.

This often lead to a noticeable scar on the neck as the wound might continue to seep for a time. La Grippe: influenza. Lead poisoning: This was common in the 18th and 19th centuries for two reasons; workers were exposed to lead in pottery glazes and paints or other industries extracting or using the metal. In addition some lead salts were used in medicine before the dangers were appreciated. (Sugar of lead is lead acetate). Lead and its compounds cause nerve and brain damage resulting in paralysis, and mental disorders. In addition, it causes anaemia and a blue line on the gums. Analysis of a sample of Beethoven's hair in 2000 showed that he had been exposed to lead, probably from medicines. The book Purple Secret, describes the illness of George III, which is now attributed on genetic and medical evidence to porphyria. However the book does not point out the widespread use of lead in medicines of the period or describe the symptoms which ensue, some of which are similar to those seen with lead poisoning. Leprosy: long lasting disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. Dr.

Johnson describes it as a loathsome distemper, which covers the body with a kind of white scales. Lethargy: a morbid drowsiness; a sleep from which one cannot be kept awake. The term appears to have had a more precise meaning in Johnson's time and would seem akin to what we would call coma. Livergrown: having a great liver. (Possibly as a result of high alcohol consumption!) Lockjaw: see tetanus. Locomotor ataxia: A movement disorder caused by syphilitic infection of the spinal cord. Synonyms: tabes dorsalis. Lues: see syphilis. Lues venera: venereal disease Lunatic: mad, having the imagination influenced by the moon. Dr. Johnson gives the original meaning of the term but it probably covered a range of disorders such as schizophrenia and congenital disabilities. Lung Fever: see pneumonia Lung Sickness: tuberculosis, see consumption. Lupus erythematosus a chronic disease causing degeneration of connective tissue. It causes red skin lesions, inflammation of joints and lesions of the internal organs. Female sufferers have difficulty in carrying a child.

Queen Anne had lupus erythematosus and although she had 17 pregnancies she had no heirs; one child lived to the age of ten. Lupus vulgaris: A chronic tubercular infection of the skin involving soft yellow swellings, ulcers and abscesses. Synonym: common lupus. Lying In: Refers to the period around childbirth. The process of child birth is commonly called parturition. Malaria: a disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, transmitted by the bites of insects such as mosquitoes. Synonyms: ague, congestive fever, marsh fever, paroxymal fever, remitting fever. Malignant sore throat: diphtheria Mania: insanity Marasmus: progressive emaciation caused by malnutrition in young children. Measles: an infectious viral disease marked by rash of red circular spots. A critical eruption in a fever. Melancholia: sadness or depression. Literally it means black bile; the ancient Greeks associated four personality types with body fluids - sanguine (dominant fluid blood) choleretic (bile), phelgmatic (phlegm) and melancholic (black bile).

Membranous Croup: hoarse cough, diphtheria. Meningitis: A term in modern usage which is used for inflammation of the membranes on the surface of the brain, involving high fever, severe headache, and stiff muscles in the neck or back. Can be caused by bacterial, viral or fungal infections Synonym: brain fever and cerebrospinal fever. Menorrhagia: flooding, excessive menstrual bleeding. Miasma: "poisonous vapours" (bad smells) that were believed to spread infection. Miliary Fever: small pustules or vesicles on the skin, so called as they resemble millet seed. Milk fever: from drinking infected milk, such as undulant fever or brucellosis. Milk Leg: thrombosis of veins in the legs caused by lying in bed too long after childbirth. It leads to ulceration of the skin. Synonym: white leg, phlegmasia alba dolens. Mormal: gangrene Mortification: infection, often used for gangrene or necrosis. A state of corruption, or losing the vital qualities; gangrene. Myelitis: literally and inflammation of a nerve.

Myocarditis: inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium) Naples disease: another name for syphilis. Natural decay: death through old age is frequently shown on death certificates as natural decay. Synonym: senile decay. Nephritis: inflammation of the kidney. Neuralgia: pain in a sensory nerve. Neurasthenia: neurotic condition. Oedema: swelling caused by retention of fluid such as might occur with a weakened heart. Opthalmitis: inflammation of the eye. Otitis: inflammation of the ear. Palsy: a privation of motion or feeling or both, proceeding from some cause below the cerebellum, joined with a coldness, flaccidity, and at last wasting of the parts. If affecting all the parts below the head, except the thorax and heart it is called a paraplegia, if in one side only a hemiplegia; if in some parts only on one side, a paralysis. This definition could include conditions arising from spinal injuries and stroke as well as conditions such as Bell's palsy and cerebral palsy. Shaking palsy is Parkinson's disease. Paristhmitis: see quinsy.

Pericarditis: inflammation of the pericardium, the membrane around the heart. Peritonitis: inflammation of the peritoneal cavity in which the intestines lie. Petechial fever: see typhus. Phlegmasia: general term for inflammation. Phrenitis: an inflammation of the brain. Phthisis: see consumption. Pink disease: disease in children caused by mercury poisoning from the use of mercury salts in teething powders. Pleurisy or pleuritis: inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the chest cavity. Symptoms are chills, fever, dry cough, and pain in the affected side. Pneumonia: inflammation of the lungs produced by infections such as Diplococcus pneumoniae or Klebsiella pneumonia. Pneumonitis: inflammation of the lungs. Podagra: gout or pain in the feet. Potters' asthma: Workers in the pottery industry of Staffordshire were exposed to dust from dried clay and in some cases from ground flints and bone used as clay additives. They developed an inflammation of the lung similar to that of miners with silicosis. Potts disease: tuberculosis of the spine leading to degeneration of the vertebrae.

Prostitis: inflammation of the prostate gland. Puerperal fever: a fever arising after giving birth, also called child bed fever, caused by bacterial infection and commonly fatal until the introduction of sulphonamides and later antibiotics in the middle of the 20th century. Purples: spots of a livid colour, which break out in malignant fevers. Putrid fever: diphtheria Putrid sore throat: ulceration of an acute form, attacking the tonsils, see also Quinsy. Pyrexia: see dysentery. Quinsy: an acute inflammation of the soft palate around the tonsils, often leading to an abscess. Synonyms: suppurative tonsillitis, cynanche tonsillaris, paristhmitis, sore throat. A tumid inflammation in the throat, which sometimes produces suffocation. Remitting fever: malaria also called the ague. Rising of the Lights: croup - any obstructive condition of the larynx or trachea (windpipe), characterised by a hoarse, barking cough and difficult breathing, occurring chiefly in infants and children. Rheumatismus: rheumatism. Rubella: German measles.

Rubeola: Measles Scarlatina: Scarlet Fever, a contagious disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, which attacks the red blood cells and produces inflammation of the nose, throat and mouth, headache, sickness and red rash. Synonym: scarlet rash. Screws: rheumatism Scrofula: tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, especially those in the neck. A disease of children and young adults. See also king's evil. Scurvy: vitamin C deficiency disease, common on long voyages and characterised by softening of the gums, haemorrhages under the skin and general debility. It was found by the British naval surgeon, James Lind, in 1753 that it could be prevented by including citrus fruits in the diet. The practice was finally adopted by the British Navy in the 1790s. The use of limes led to British seaman being referred to as limeys. Synonym: scorbutus. An agent for treating scurvy is sometimes known as an antiscorbutic.

Shingles: a painful skin condition, commonly in older people, caused by the virus that produces chicken pox which can remain dormant in the body for many years. Ship fever: see typhus. Small-pox: an eruptive distemper of great malignity. Also known as variola. A viral infection producing fever and a skin rash followed by pustules which leave permanent scars. The disease was often fatal in the 18th and 19th centuries but is now believed to have been eradicated by vaccination programmes. Edward Jenner pioneered vaccination using material from cow-pox pustules in the late 18th century. Inoculation with live small pox had been used earlier in the 18th century having been introduced as a technique from the Middle East. Queen Anne died of small-pox Softening Of The Brain: senility or general paralysis of the insane (GPI) which is tertiary syphilis. Also used for cerebral haemorrhage/stroke. Splenitits: inflammation of the spleen. Spotted fever: could be typhus or meningitis. St. Anthony's Fire: see erysipelas. St.

Vitus Dance: a twitching of the limbs consequent on streptococcal infections also known as chorea Sancti Viti. Stranguary: restricted urine flow. A difficulty of urine attended with pain. This could have included bladder stones and enlargement of the prostate. See also gravel. Strophulus: prickly heat. Summer complaint: see cholera infantum also dysentery or baby diarrhoea caused by spoiled milk. Suppurating: producing pus. Synochus: fever Syphilis: long lasting contagious venereal disease caused by bacterium Treponema pallidum, characterised by three stages, primary, secondary and tertiary. It is infectious only in the primary phase, lasting 2 to 3 months, when it is characterised by genital sores. Dr Samuel Johnson's biographer, James Boswell, died of syphilis. Kings believed to suffer from it were Henry VIII, Charles II, James II, George II and William IV. Synonyms: French Pox, Lues, Bad Blood, Great Pox, Morbus Gallicus, Naples disease, Spanish disease. See also G.P.I. Tabes dorsalis: tubercular infection of the spine.

Tabes mesenterica: tubercular infection of the lymph glands in the abdomen. Teething: Teething infants sometimes suffered infections of the gums as the teeth erupted leading to pain and swelling. If the infection became systemic, it could lead to convulsions, diarrhoea and even death. Another explanation of teething as a cause of death is that infants were often weaned at the time of teething and may have encountered contaminated milk or food. In older people tooth decay and gum disease leading to abscesses could result in septicaemia. Josiah Wedgwood, the celebrated pottery manufacturer, died from a tooth infection. Tetanus: an infectious, often fatal disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which enters the body through wounds. Synonyms: trismus, lockjaw. Thrush: a disease in which there are white spots and ulcers in the mouth, and on the tongue, caused by a parasitic fungus, Candida albicans. There is a similar condition of the vagina. Synonyms: aphthae, sore mouth, aphthous stomatitis. Small round superficial ulcerations, which first appear in the mouth.

Trench fever: a louse borne infection characterised by headaches, inflamed eyes, skin rashes and pains in the legs. The infective agent is Rickettsia quintana. Tuberculosis: A chronic infectious disease that can affect a variety of organs. The most common variety is pulmonary tuberculosis or consumption, passed on via droplets in coughs and sneezes. Tuberculosis of the lymph glands in the neck was called scrofula or King's Evil. The disease could be contracted through infected milk. See consumption and King's Evil. Tympany: A kind of obstructed flatulence that swells the body like a drum. Typhoid fever: an infectious disease producing intestinal inflammation and ulceration. It was usually encountered in the summer months. It is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhosa. The name came from the disease's similarity to typhus (see below). Synonym: enteric fever. Typhus: An acute, infectious disease caused by the parasite Rickettsia prowazekii, transmitted by lice and fleas. It is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium, intense headache and dark red rash.

The epidemic or classic form is louse borne; the endemic or murine is flea borne. Sir William Jenner, (1815-1898) , was the first physician to establish the distinct identities of typhus and typhoid fevers. Synonyms: typhus fever, malignant fever (in the 1850s), jail fever, hospital fever, ship fever, putrid fever, brain fever, bilious fever, spotted fever, petechial fever, camp fever, camp diarrhoea. The name typhus was not mentioned by Dr. Johnson; in his time it was covered among the fevers. Typhus, because it was flea borne, was often prevalent in the winter months when people were less likely to wash their clothes or indeed themselves. Undulant fever: brucellosis, an infectious fever contracted from contaminated milk. Varicella: Chicken pox Whooping cough: see chin cough. White leg: see milk leg. Winter Fever: see pneumonia. Wool sorters' disease: anthrax, a disease formerly found in farm animals that could be transmitted to man. Now rare in developed countries but common in central Asia.

Worm fever: may have been used to indicate a fever or enteritis during which worms were passed in the faeces. It is given as a cause of death of children in the early 19th century. For modern dictionaries of medicine try the site run by Boots the Chemist which is written for patients, Medline from the US National Library of Medicine, or Stedmans Online Medical Dictionary, which is aimed at Medical Students. History of Medicine Tetanus (lockjaw) You are Here: Home Page > Communicable Disease > Tetanus (lockjaw) Tetanus (lockjaw) Tétanos - Medline Plus Información de Salud para Usted What is tetanus? Tetanus, commonly called lockjaw, is a serious bacterial disease that affects muscles and nerves. It is characterized by muscle stiffness that usually involves the jaw and neck that then progresses to involve other parts of the body. Death can result from severe breathing difficulties or heart abnormalities. Who gets tetanus? As a result of widespread immunization, tetanus is now a rare disease in the United States. Tetanus occurs more often in older people and in agricultural workers for who contact with animal manure is more likely and immunization is inadequate.

In the United States, neonatal (newborn) tetanus is rare but can occur if mothers are not immunized appropriately against tetanus. How is tetanus spread? In unvaccinated individuals, tetanus is contracted through a cut or deep wound which becomes contaminated with the organism. Tetanus has also been associated with clean wounds, surgical procedures, insect bites, dental infections, and intravenous drug use. It is not transmitted from person to person. Where is the tetanus bacteria found? The tetanus bacteria are everywhere in the environment and is commonly found in soil, dust and manure. What are the symptoms of tetanus? A common first sign of tetanus is muscular stiffness in the jaw (lockjaw). Other symptoms include stiffness of the neck, trouble swallowing, painful muscle stiffness all over the body, spasms, sweating, and fever. How soon after infection do symptoms occur? The incubation period is usually 8 days but may range from 3 days to 3 weeks. Shorter incubation periods are associated with more heavily contaminated wounds. What are the complications associated with tetanus? Complications include spasm of the vocal cords and/or spasms of the respiratory muscles causing interference with breathing.

Other complications include fractures of the spine or long bones from stiff muscles, elevated blood pressure, abnormal heartbeats, coma, clotting in the blood vessels of the lung, and pneumonia. Even with modern intensive care, tetanus is associated with death rates of 10-20%. What is the treatment for tetanus? The use of tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine and tetanus immune globulin (TIG) or antitoxin in the management of wounds depends on the nature of the wound and the history of immunization. Persons with clean, minor wounds may need to catch-up their tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine. For more severe wounds, persons may need TIG in addition to vaccine. If the disease develops, supportive care and therapy to control severe spasms are indicated. Does past infection with tetanus make a person immune? Recovery from tetanus may not result in immunity. Second attacks can occur and immunization is needed after recovery. Is there a vaccine for tetanus? An effective vaccine called tetanus toxoid has been available for many years.

It is contained in the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), DT (diphtheria, tetanus), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis), and Td (tetanus and diphtheria) vaccines. A tetanus booster shot is recommended every 10 years after the completion of a 3-dose series. In New York State, children born after 1/1/2005 are required to have at least 3 doses of DTaP to attend pre-kindergarten programs and school. Children born on or after 1/1/94 are required to have one dose of Tdap. Tetanus vaccine is highly recommended for all children. What can be done to prevent the spread of tetanus? Being fully immunized is the best tool to prevent tetanus. Revised: February 2014 List of Old Diseases 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

Question: Lockjaw is an old fashioned term for which affliction?
Answer: TETANUS