This is from Treasures of the Past
Early Medical Terms
(partially contributed by Tom Nagy)
Medical Terms
Ablepsy – Blindness
Act of God – meant to be
Addison’s Disease – anemic condition caused by kidney disease
Ague - Malarial Fever, fever – any illness causing chills, fever (malaria, influenza)
Air Swelling – distention of the abdomen, due to the presence of gas or air in the intestines
Alcap/Alka – alkalinity, uremia
American plague - Yellow fever
Anasarca - Generalized massive edema
Anchylosis – stiff joint
Anidrosis – too little perspiration
Anthrax – a carbuncle or boil which is larger & more painful than a boil, also a term used for cattle
Aphonia – Laryngitis
Aphtha - The infant disease "thrush"
Apoplexy - Paralysis due to stroke, hemorrhage into the brain, a stroke, either epileptic seizure or an hysterical reaction, foaming at mouth
Arachnitis – inflammation of the arachnoid & Pia mater, which are membranes in the brain
Ascites – dropsy of the belly – an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the stomach
Asphycsia/Asphicsia - Cyanotic and lack of oxygen
Atrophy - Wasting away or diminishing in size, also called Shrinking Heart
Bad Blood – Syphilis, ill feeling
Barber’s Itch – ring worm of the beard
Bilious Colic – tortuous pain the belly
Bilious fever - Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis, a fever due to a live disorder yellow fever
Biliousness - Jaundice associated with liver disease
Black Death – bubonic plague, black patches formed on the skin
Black Lung – disease of the lung caused by habitual inhalation of coal dust
Black Plague - Bubonic plague
Black fever - Acute infection with high temperature and dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate
Black Pox - Black Small pox
Black Tongue – typhoid fever
Black Vomit - Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever
Blackwater Vever - Dark urine associated with high temperature
Bladder in throat - Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates)
Bleeder’s Disease – hemophilia
Blood Letting – the taking of blood in the treatment of disease
Blood Poisoning - Bacterial infection; septicemia, infection (either viral or bacterial) in the bloodstreams, usually caused by trauma, war wounds or surgery, staphylococcus, streptococci were most frequent bacteria seen
Bloody Flux - Bloody stools, also dysentery, diarrhea, many causes, amoebic, salmonella, shigella, typhoid, typhus, often from impure water, death caused by dehydration, inflammation of the large bowels, commonly known as colitis
Bloody Sweat - Sweating sickness
Blue Baby – infant with bluish tinge usually from a congenital defect of the heart
Blue Disease – commonly known as cyanosis; a bluish color over the whole body due to the poor circulation and insufficient oxygen in the bloodstream; usually fatal, body warmth is reduced, hampering breathing
Bone Shave - Sciatica
Brain Fever – Meningitis, encephalitis, viral or bacterial inflammation of brain, spinal cord, often extremely contagious
Brain Inflammation – viral encephalitis, concussion, sun stroke
Brain Sick – mentally disordered
Breakbone Fever - Dengue fever
Bright's Disease - Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys, inflammation of the capillaries, albumen in the urine, albuminuria, glomerulonephritis
Bronchorrhea – a bronchial flu
Bronze John - Yellow fever, an acute infectious disease caused by a virus, which gets into the body through the bite of an infected mosquito
Brown Tail Rash – an irritating rash on the skin caused by the hairs of the brown-tail moth, carried by the wind and lodging in the pores of the skin
Bule - Boil, tumor or swelling
Cachexia – malnutrition with chronic disease
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
Cankerigh – probably tuberculosis
Carditis – inflammation of the heart wall
Catalepsy – see Ecstasy, condition which causes seizures, trances or unconsciousness
Catarrh – inflammation of a mucous membrane, runny eyes & nose, influenza, common cold
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, infection of the uterus secondary to childbirth, blood poisoning during pregnancy, puerperal fever, streptococcal infection during or after childbirth or abortions, spread by poor sanitary habits, often of the caretaker (doctor, midwife)
Chin cough - Whooping cough
Chlorosis - Iron deficiency anemia, condition of pale or greenish skin, weakness & dyspepsia
Cholera - Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing
Cholera Infantum – diarrhea, infectious diarrhea in babies, usually seen first summer after weaning
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, nervous disorder
Clap - gonorrhea
Cold Plague - Ague which is characterized by chills
Colic - An abdominal pain and cramping
Colitis – inflammation of the large colon or bowel’s
Congestive - chills
Congestive chills - Malaria
Consumption – Tuberculosis of the lungs, contagious bacterial lung infection, eventually fatal. Treatment included moving to warmer, drier climates.
Congestion - Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs
Congestive chills - Malaria with diarrhea
Congestive fever - Malaria
Corruption – Infection, easily fatal
Coryza - A cold
Costiveness – affected with constipation, if death, malignant colon tumor
Cramp colic – Appendicitis
Creeping Paralysis – syphilis (tabes dorsalis), sexually transmitted disease, death from slowly deteriorating brain lesions or even from heavy metal poisoning (mercury) “treatments”
Crop Sickness - Overextended stomach
Croup - Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat
Crusted Tetter – see impetigo
Cyanosis - Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood, blueness of skin
Cynanche - Diseases of throat
Cystitis - Inflammation of the urinary bladder
Day fever - Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness.
Decline – see tuberculosis
Decrepitude – feebleness due to old age wasted and weakened
Debility – failure to thrive, Lack of movement or staying in bed, seen in infants or elderly, often due to physical wasting, lack of appetite for many reasons including cancer and tuberculosis
Decrepitude - Feebleness due to old age
Delirium Tremens - Hallucinations due to alcoholism
Dengue - Infectious fever endemic to East Africa, headaches, severe joint pain, rash
Dentition – teeth, Cutting of teeth, death could be from infantile convulsions, febrile seizures, infected teeth and gums, mercury poisoning from teething powders
Deplumation - Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss
Devonshire Colic – see painter’s colic
Diary Fever - A fever that lasts one day
Diptheria – acute 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, an unnatural collection of fluid in any cavity of the body, swelling of the legs, usually heart and/or kidney failure
Dropsy of the Brain - Encephalitis
Dry Bellyache - Lead poisoning
Dyscrasy/Dyscrasia - An abnormal body condition
Dysentery - Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood (see Brain Fever), commonly known as colitis, severe diarrhea
Dysorexy - Reduced appetite
Dyspepsia - Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms, bad digestion, chronic
Dysury/Dysuria - Difficulty in urination, painful
Eclampsia – eclampsia convulsions, usually due to childbirth or uremia. Modern usage refers only to childbirth
Eclampsy - Symptoms of epilepsy, convulsions during labor
Ecstasy - a form of catalepsy, where limbs remain in whatever position they are placed, characterized by loss of reason edema nephrosis, swelling of tissues
Edema - Nephrosis; swelling of tissues
Edema of Lungs - Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy, accumulation fluid
Eel Thing – Erysipelas
Egyptian Chlorosis - hookworm
Elephantiasis - A form of leprosy, enormous enlargement of a limb
Encephalitis - Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness
Enteric fever - Typhoid fever relating to intestines
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, also known as St. Anthony’s Fire
Extravasted blood - Rupture of a blood vessel
Falling sickness – Epilepsy
Flase Measles – see Rose Rash
Fatty Liver - Cirrhosis of liver
Felon – infection of end of finger, hand nail
Fits - Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity, a convulsion, a seizure
Flatulent Colic – see Wind Colic
Flux - An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea
Flux of Humor - Circulation
French pox - Syphilis
Galloping Consumption – aggressive TB, (see consumption)
Gathering - A collection of pus
Glandular fever – Mononucleosis, an abnormal increase of agranulocyte in the blood
Gleet – gonorrhea with priapism
Gravel – “sand” in the kidneys which is sometimes passed in the urine, it is composed of minute particles of kidney stones
Great Pox - Syphilis
Green Fever / Sickness – Anemia, a green tinge to the skin of a young girl in puberty, chlorosis
Grippe/Grip - Influenza like symptoms, an upper respiratory infection with fever, running nose, sore throat, cough, headache, aches & pains in the whole body
Grocer's Itch - Skin disease caused by mites in sugar or flour
Hallucinations - delirium
Heart Sickness - Condition caused by loss of salt from body
Heat Stroke - Body temperature elevates because of surrounding environment temperature and body does not perspire to reduce temperature. Coma and death result if not reversed
Hectical Complaint - Recurrent fever, persistent such as in tuberculosis
Hematemesis - Vomiting blood, spitting blood
Hematuria - Bloody urine
Hemiplegy - Paralysis of one side of body
Hemorrhage – massive bleeding, any cause, ruptured aneurysm, ruptured blood vessels in lungs from tuberculosis or cancer, from stomach due to caner or esophageal blood vessels secondary to alcoholism
Hepatic Melancholy – cirrhosis of the liver
Hip Gout – Osteomylitis
Hives – acute allergy
Horrors - Delirium tremens
Humid Teeter – skin disease, eczema
Hydrocephalus - Enlarged head, water on the brain, dropsy of the brain
Hydropericardium - Heart dropsy
Hydrophobia – Rabies, fear of water
Hydrothroax - Dropsy in chest, serious fluid
Hyertropy of Heart – enlarged heart
Hypertrophic - Enlargement of organ, like the heart
Idrosis – greatly increased perspiration
Impetigo - Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules, ring worm
Inanition - Physical condition resulting from lack of food
Indican in the Urine – poisonous material being thrown back into the system
Infantile Debility – see marasmus
Infantile Paralysis – Polio
Infantile Spinal Paralysis – see poliomyelitis
Inflammation – inflammation erythema, could be any number of causes, including superficial cancers, swollen glands, local infections caused by bacteria, TB, brucella, anthrax, staphylococci, streptococci
Intestinal Colic - Abdominal pain due to improper diet
Jail fever - Typhus
Jaundice - Condition caused by blockage of intestines
Keuchhusten – see whopping cough
King's evil - Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands, scrofula, or swelling of the neck glands, thought to be healed by the King’s touch
Kruchhusten - Whooping cough
Lagrippe – Influenza
Lead Colic – intestinal colic associated with constipation due to chroniclead poisoning
Lead Palsy – a sequel to painter’s colic
Leprosy – chronic disease with nodule deformities
Lockjaw - Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of the neck and 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 Fever – fever, fever with hemorrhagic skin rash, meningococcal infections,
malaria, typhoid. May also be heat stroke
Malignant sore throat - Diphtheria
Mania – Insanity
Marasmius – infantile debility, condition wherein a child is unable to absorb
nutrition form food, malnutrition or intestinal disease
Marasmus – wasting of body, Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition,
usually nutritional deficits during infancy
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 Crust – small red, itchy pimples on the face or scalp of infants which burst & exude sticky fluid forming a yellow crust
Milk Fever - Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis
Milk Leg - Post partum thrombophlebitis, phlebitis or inflammation in the leg beginning two to seven weeks after giving birth
Milk Sickness - Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds, also known as trembles, symptoms: nausea, vomiting, general debility, peculiar odor to the breath
Mormal – Gangrene, local death of soft tissue
Morphew - Scurvy blisters on the body
Mortification - Gangrene of necrotic tissue, the complete death of a part of the body, means death of tissue, usually of leg or foot caused by diabetes, infection, poor circulation, trauma
Mother’s Marks – dilation of minute blood vessels varying in size, the smallest being the “spider mark”
Myelitis - Inflammation of the spine or spinal cord
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
Osmidrosis – body odor
Painter’s Colic – also known as Devonshire Colic or Dry Belly Ache, a form of
colic experienced with slow lead poisoning, see Lead Colic
Palsy - Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. It was listed as "Cause of death"
Paresis – paralysis, any cause: stroke, polio, syphilis or trauma
Paroxysm – Convulsion, fit or attack
Parsons – graves disease, of thyroid
Pellagra – a disease caused by eating spoiled maize, symptoms begin with vomiting & diarrhea, followed by a swollen & sore tongue, and a red ulcerated mouth, rash on the body, and body sores
Pemphigus - Skin disease of watery blisters, itching and burning
Pericarditis - Inflammation of heart
Peripneumonia - Inflammation of lungs
Peritonotis - Inflammation of abdominal area
Pessary – a device worn in the vagina for birth control or to give support to a displaced uterus
Petechial Fever - Fever characterized by skin spotting
Peurperal exhaustion - Death due to child birth
Phithisis - Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis, due to tuberculosis or consumption
Phlebitis – tenderness or hardness of an infected vein, treatment with leeches or lotions
Phlegm – mucus in the respiratory passages
Phthiriasis – crab lice infestation
Phthisis Pulmonale – tuberculosis (see consumption)
Physic – medicine, purgative
Piles – affected with hemorrhoids
Pink Eye – conjunctivitis
Plague - An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate
Pleurisy - Any pain in the chest area with each breath, inflammation of the thorax, inflammation & mucus of the lungs
Podagra – Gout, painful inflammation of the joints, uric acid in blood
Poliomyelitis – Polio, motor paralysis
Potter's asthma - Fibroid pthisis
Pott's Disease - Tuberculosis of spine, curvature
Puerperal Exhaustion - Death due to childbirth
Puerperal Fever - Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant
Puking Fever - Milk sickness
Purple Disease – purpura hemorrhagica, a rash of spots on the body, small round & bright red, which change to purple color or dark red spots in irregular livid patches
Putrid Fever - Diphtheria.
Putrid Throat – infection of throat, severe infection of mouth/throat
Pyemia – a form of blood poisoning from pus in the blood carried to various parts
of the body
Quinsy – Tonsillitis, bacterial infection of tonsils, severe streptococcal
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
Rose Rash – false measles or roseola
Roseola – fever, eruption of rose colored spots, measles
Rotanny fever - (Child's disease) ???
Rubeola - German measles
Sanguineous crust – Scab
Saint Anthony’s Fire – erysipelas, infectious disease with inflammation of the skin & fever, believed to be cured by St. Anthony
Saint Vitus Dance – chorea, nervous disorder which creates involuntary muscular contractions
Sanguinous Crust – scab
Scabies – 7 year itch, contagious skin disease
Scariantina/Scarlatina - Scarlet fever
Scarlet Fever - A disease characterized by red rash
Scarlet Rash - Roseola
Sciatica – painful rheumatism in the hips and or thighs, sciatic nerve
Scirrhus - Cancerous tumors
Scorbutic - scurvy
Scotomy - Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight
Screws - Rheumatism
Scrivener's palsy - Writer's cramp
Scrofula - Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pustulas develop. Young person's disease. Also known as King’s Evil. This occurred from drinking tuberculous milk. Possibly chicken pox
Scrumpox - Skin disease, impetigo
Scurvy - Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin
Self Pollution - masturbation
Septicemia - Blood poisoning
Shakes - Delirium tremens
Shaking - Chills, ague
Shingles - Viral disease characterized by skin blisters, band of pain
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 – dementia, Result of stroke or hemorrhage in the brain, with an end result of the tissue softening in that area, mental changes due to stroke, syphilis or bleeding (hemorrhage) in the brain, apoplexy
Sore Throat Distemper - Diphtheria or quinsy
Spanish Influenza – an epidemic influenza
Spasms - Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, like a convulsion
Spinal Bifida - Deformity of spine
Spotted Fever - Either typhus or meningitis, cerebra-spinal meningitis fever
Sprue - Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders and sore throat, kind of tumor
St. Anthony's fire - Also erysipelas, but named so because of affected 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 of stricture
Stricture – abnormal narrowing of a duct of passage
Stroke – rupture of blood vessel in the brain
Sudor Anglicus - Sweating sickness
Summer Complaint – gastroenteritis, Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk, vomiting and diarrhea (see Cholrea Infantum), not limited to children.
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
Swine Flu – type of influenze
Tetanus - Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness.
Throat Aliment - diphtheria
Throat Distemper – tonsillitis, diphtheria, infected throat, often fatal due to obstruction of airway by a thick membrane
Thrombosis - Blood clot inside blood vessel
Thrush - Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat
Tick fever - Rocky mountain spotted fever
Tobacco Heart – they had tobacco figured out in the 19th Century
Toxemia of Pregnancy – Eclampsia, convulsive state
Trench mouth - Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene
Tussis Convulsiva - Whooping cough
Thyroid Pneumonia – lung fever
Typhus/Typhus Fever – also known as Putrid Fever or Ship Fever, contagious disease
transmitted to man by the bite of leas, lice, etc., high
fever characterized by headache, and dizziness
Uremia – blood in the urine
Vapors - fainting
Variola – mild form of smallpox
Venesection - Bleeding
Viper's dance - Saint Vitus’ Dance
Water Brash – pyrosis, heartburn; a burning sensation in the esophagus and stomach,
with sour belching of a thin, watery fluid
Water on brain - Enlarged head
Wen – sebaceous cyst
White Death – tuberculosis
White Plague – tuberculosis, heroin addiction
White Swelling - Tuberculosis of the bone
Whooping Cough – convulsive spasmodic cough sometimes followed by a crowing intake of breathe
Wind Colic – pain in the bowels due to their distention with air or gas, also known as interalgia or flatulent colic
Winter Fever – Pneumonia
Womb Fever - Infection of the uterus.
Wool Sorter’s Disease – see Anthrax, severe boils from contaminated wool
Worm fit - Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhea
Yellow Fever or Yellow Jack – jaundice, an acute infection disease caused by a bite
of an infected mosquito. Symptoms include
chills, fever, pains, aches, jaundice, kidney damage, vomiting, uremia, and in many cases
death, a symptom, not a disease, caused by blockage of the bile ducts, may be caused by
cancer, liver failure or infection (hepatitis)
