Early Medical Terms - Eighteenth and nineteenth Centuries
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Attala County, Mississippi Medical Terminology for Genealogists Many of the medical terms used in historical records are vastly different from the terms used today. This can cause problems for researchers of 'family history' when confronted with unusual and unfamiliar medical terminology. The following compiled list of archaic medical terms and their definitions, while far from complete, provides the names of many of the most commonly found medical conditions.
Ablepsy—Blindness American plague—Yellow fever Anasarca—Generalized massive edema Aphonia—Laryngitis Aphtha—The infant disease "thrush" Apoplex/Apoplexy—A stroke; Paralysis due to stroke Asphicsia/Asphycsia—Cyanosis and lack of oxygen Asthenia—debilitation Atrophy—Wasting away or diminishing in size Bad Blood—Syphilis Bilious fever—Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis Biliousness—Jaundice associated with liver disease Black plague or black death—Bubonic plague Black fever—Acute infection with high temperature, dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate Black pox—Black Small pox Black vomit—Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever Blackwater fever—Dark urine associated with high temperature Bladder in throat—Diphtheria Blood poisoning—Bacterial infection; septicemia Bloody flux—Bloody stools; usually in relation to dysentery Bone shave—Sciatica; pain in low back and hips Brain fever—Meningitis or typhus; any inflammation of the brain or nervous system Breakbone—Dengue fever Bright's disease—Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys; pyleonephritis Bronze John—Yellow fever Bule—Boil, tumor or swelling Cachexy—Malnutrition Cacogastric—Upset stomach Cacospysy—Irregular pulse Caduceus—Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy Camp fever—Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea Canine madness—Rabies, hydrophobia Canker—Ulceration of mouth or lips; also used for herpes simplex Catalepsy—Seizures, trances Catarrhal—Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy Cerebritis—Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning Choak—Croup Chilblain—Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold Child bed fever—Infection of uterus following birth of a child Chin cough—Whooping cough Chlorosis—Iron deficiency anemia Cholera—Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing Cholera morbus—Characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, elevated temperature Cholecystitus—Inflammation of the gall bladder Cholelithiasis—Gall stones Chorea—Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing Cold plague—Ague which is characterized by chills Colic—An abdominal pain and cramping Congestive chills—Malaria Consumption—Tuberculosis Congestion—Any excessive collection of blood or other fluid in an organ, body part, or blood vessel Congestive chills—Malaria with diarrhea Congestive fever—Malaria Corruption—Infection Coryza—A cold Costiveness—Constipation Cowpox—Nonfatal disease similar to smallpox, affecting cattle and transmittable to humans Cramp colic—Appendicitis Crop sickness—Overextended stomach Croup—Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat; any obstructive condition of the larynx or trachea, characterized by hoarse, raspy cough. Chiefly seen in infants and children Cyanosis—Dark skin color, generally bluish gray, caused by a lack of oxygen in blood Cynanche—Diseases of throat Cystitis—Inflammation of the bladder Day fever—Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness Debility—Lack of movement or staying in bed Decrepitude—Feebleness due to old age Delirium tremens—Hallucinations, tremors, mental confusion due to chronic alcoholism Dengue—Infectious fever endemic to East Africa Dentition—Cutting of teeth Deplumation—Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss Diary fever—A fever that lasts one day Diphtheria—Contagious disease of the throat Distemper—Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia Dock fever—Yellow fever Domestic Illness—Mental breakdown, depression Dropsy—Edema (swelling) of the body or any body part due to build up of clear watery fluid; often caused by kidney or heart disease; common term for congestive heart failure Dropsy of the Brain—Encephalitis Dry Bellyache—Lead poisoning Dyscrasy—An abnormal body condition Dysentery—Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood; may refer to a number of disorders which produce these symptoms Dysorexy—Reduced appetite Dyspepsia—Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms Dysury—Difficulty in urination Eclampsia/ Eclampsy—Symptoms of epilepsy or convulsions during pregnancy or labor Ecstasy—A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason Edema—Swelling of tissues Edema of lungs—Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy Eel thing—Erysipelas Elephantiasis—A form of leprosy where extremities are greatly enlarged due to lymphatic blockage Encephalitis—Swelling of brain; commonly called sleeping sickness Enteric fever—Typhoid fever Enterocolitis—Inflammation of the intestines Enteritis—Inflations of the bowels Epilepsy—Convulsive or seizure disorder; disorder of the nervous system Epitaxis—Nose bleed Erysipelas—Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions Extravasted blood—Rupture of a blood vessel Falling sickness—Epilepsy Fainting Fits—Epilepsy Fatty Liver—Cirrhosis of liver Fits—Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity Flux—An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea; used to describe dysentery Flux of humour—Circulation French pox—Syphilis Frogg—Croup Furuncle—Boil or skin abcess Galloping consumption—Pulmonary tuberculosis Gangrene—Tissue death due to injury, disease, or reduced blood supply to an area of the body Gathering—A collection of pus General paralysis of the Insane—Advanced case of syphilis that affects the brain, leading to mental aberrations Glandular fever—Mononucleosis Gout—Painful inflammation and swelling of joints caused by build up of uric acid in the bloodstream Great pox—Syphilis Green fever / Sickness—Anemia Grippe/Grip—Influenza like symptoms Grocer's itch—Skin disease caused by mites in sugar or flour Heart sickness—Condition caused by loss of salt from body Heat stroke—Body temperature elevation because of surrounding environmental temperature; Coma and death result if not reversed Hectical complaint—Recurrent fever Hematemesis—Vomiting blood Hematuria—Bloody urine Hemiplegy—Paralysis of one side of body Hip gout—Osteomylitis Horrors—Delirium tremens Hydrocephalus—Enlarged head, water on the brain Hydropericardium—Heart dropsy Hydrophobia—Rabies Hydrothroax—Dropsy in chest Hypertrophic—Enlargement of organ, like the heart Impetigo—Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules Impostume—Abcess Inanition—Physical condition resulting from lack of food Infantile paralysis—Poliomylelitis Intestinal colic—Abdominal pain due to improper diet Jail fever—Typhus Jaundice—Condition caused by blockage of intestines King's evil—Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands Kruchhusten—Whooping cough Lagrippe—Influenza Leprosy—Chronic bacterial disease affecting generally skin and nerves; if untreated, may cause permanent damage to affected areas Lockjaw—Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of the neck and jaw. Untreated, it is fatal in 8 days Long sickness—Tuberculosis Lues disease—Syphilis Lues venera—Venereal disease Lumbago—Back pain Lung fever—Pneumonia Lung sickness—Tuberculosis Lying in—Time of delivery of infant Malignant sore throat—Diphtheria Mania—Insanity Marasmus—Progressive wasting away of body, as in malnutrition Melancholia—Severe depression Membranous Croup—Diphtheria Meningitis—Inflations of brain or spinal cord Metritis—Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge Miasma—Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air Milk fever—Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis; also used to describe fever that develops in relation to lactation Milk leg—Post partum thrombophlebitis; blood clots and swelling of the legs Milk sickness—Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds Morbilli—measles Morbus cordis—heart disease; catch all phrase to describe death by natural causes when no exact cause was evident Mormal—Gangrene Morphew—Scurvy blisters on the body Mortification—Gangrene; development of necrotic tissue Myelitis—Inflammation of the spine Myocarditis—Inflammation of heart muscles Necrosis—Mortification (death) 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 Oedema—swelling, fluid retention; dropsy Palsy—Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. Paroxysm—Convulsion Pemphigus—Skin disease of watery blisters Pericarditis—Inflammation of heart Peripneumonia—Inflammation of lungs Peritonotis—Inflammation of abdominal area Petechial fever—Fever characterized by skin spotting Planet struck—Any sudden severe affliction of paralysis Puerperal exhaustion—Death due to child birth Puerperal fever—Infection after giving birth Phthiriasis—Lice infestation Phthisis—Chronic wasting away; a name for tuberculosis Plague—An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate Pleurisy—Any pain in the chest area which occurs with each breath; inflammation of the lining of the chest cavity Podagra—Gout Poliomyelitis—Polio Pott's disease—Tuberculosis of spine Potter's asthma—Tuberculosis Puerperal exhaustion—Death due to childbirth Puerperal fever—Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant Puking fever—Milk sickness Putrid fever—Diphtheria Quinsy—Tonsillitis Ragpicker's disease—Anthrax Remitting fever—Malaria Rheumatism—Any disorder associated with pain in joints Rickets—Disease of skeletal system Rising of the lights—Croup Rose cold—Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy Rubeola—German measles Sanguineous crust—Scab Scarlatina—Scarlet fever Scarlet fever—A disease characterized by red rash Scarlet rash—Roseola Sciatica—Rheumatism in the hips Scirrhus—Cancerous tumors Scotomy—Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight Scouring/ Scours/ Scowering—Diarrhea or dysentery Scrivener's palsy—Writer's cramp Screws—Rheumatism Scrofula—Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pistulas develop. Scrumpox—Skin disease, impetigo Scurvy—Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemmoraging under skin Septicemia—Blood poisoning Shakes - Delirium tremens Shaking—Chills, ague Shingles—Viral disease with skin blisters Ship fever—Typhus Siriasis—Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure Sloes—Milk sickness Small pox—Contagious disease with fever and blisters Softening of brain—Result of stroke or hemorrhage in the brain, with result of the tissue softening in affected area Sore throat distemper—Diphtheria or quinsy Spanish influenza—Epidemic influenza Spasms—Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, similar to a convulsion Spina bifida—Deformity of spine Spotted fever—Either typhus or meningitis Sprue—Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders and sore throat St. Anthony's fire—Also erysipelas, but named so because of affected skin areas are bright red in appearance St. Vitas dance—Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements Stomatitis—Inflammation of the mouth Stranger's fever—Yellow fever Strangery—Rupture 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 Surfiet/ Surfet—Vomiting from overeating; gluttony 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, respiratory paralysis, spasms of the muscles, and dizziness Thrombosis—Blood clot inside blood vessel Thrush—Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat; caused by parasitic fungus; often affecting sick, weak, or debilitated individuals or young children Typhoid/ Typhoid Fever—Severe, often fatal food or water-borne disease; symptoms include sudden onset of sustained fever, severe headache, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea. Tick fever—Rocky Mountain spotted fever Tissick—Cough Toxemia of pregnancy—Eclampsia Trench mouth—Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene Tussis convulsiva—Whooping cough Tympany—Swelling or tumor Typhus—Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness; transmitted by lice and fleas Variola—Smallpox Venesection—Bleeding, generally from injury, but also used as "treatment" for various diseases Viper's dance—St. Vitus Dance; chorea; generalized, severe tremors Water on brain—Enlarged head; hydrocephalus White swelling—Tuberculosis of the bone Winter fever—Pneumonia Wolf—Rapidly expanding growth or tumor Womb fever—Infection of the uterus Worm fit—Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhea Yellowjacket—Yellow fever |