Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Older names for diseases listed in obits

   Years ago common ailments and diseases had different names which often are listed on death certificates or in newspaper articles. Here is a listing of the old name and the current one. I found this in an old article (undated) that I had clipped from the local paper. Since I am not a medical person I am not vouching  for how accurate it is. The list ended with "g" and I had no follow-up article. But I thought it might help you in research.

Ablepsy / blindness

Ague/ malarial fever

American plague/ yellow fever

Aphonia/ laryngitis

Aphtha/ the infant disease “Thrush”

Bilious fever/ typhoid or malaria, elevated temperature

Biliousness/ jaundice associated w/ liver disease

Black plague or black death/ bubonic plague

Bacterial infection/ septicemia

Bloody flux/ bloody stools

Brain fever/ meningitis

Cachexy/malnutrition

Cacogastric/ upset stomach

Camp fever/ typhus aka camp diarrhea

Cerebritis/ inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning

Childbed fever/ infection following birth of child

Cramp colic/ appendicitis

Croup/ laryngitis, diphtheria or strep throat

Debility/ lack of movement or staying in bed

Decrepitude/ feebleness due to old age

Dropsy/ edema (swelling) often caused by kidney or heart disease

Dropsy of the brain/ encephalitis

Dysentery/ inflammation of colon w/ passage of mucous & blood

Edema/ nephrosis, swelling of tissues

Edema of lungs/congestive heart failure

Encephalitis/ swelling of the brain aka sleeping sickness

Enteric fever/ typhoid fever

Epitaxis/ nose bleed

Falling sickness/ epilepsy

French pox/ syphilis

Glandular fever/ mononucleosis

Grippe or grip/ influenza-like symptoms


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