Have you ever wondered what those old time diseases were? Anyone
who has done genealogy research and obtained copies of death certificates
has seen comments like Bloody Flux, chilblains, whooping cough, etc. Below
is a listing of various old time diseases that may make reading that death
certificate a little easier. 

 Old Time Diseases ...Submitted by Kiowana Hayes Ferguson



 
Ablepsy Blindness 
Ague Malarial Fever 
American plague Yellow Fever 
Anasarca Generalized massive edema 
Aphonia Laryngitis 
Aphtha The infant disease thrush 
Apoplexy Paralysis due to stroke 
Asphycsia/Asphicsia Cyanotic and lack of oxygen 

 
Bad Blood Syphilis 
Bilious fever Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature
and bile emesis 
Black plague or death Bubonic plague 
Black fever Acute infection with high temperature and 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 the throat Diphtheria 
Bloody flux Bloody stools 
Bloody sweat Sweating sickness 
Bone shave Sciatica 
Bronze John Yellow Fever 
Bule Boil tumor or swelling

 
Cachexy Malnutrition 
Cacospysy Irregular pulse 
Caduceus Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy 
Camp fever Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea 
Canine madness Rabies, hydrophobia 
Cerebritis Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning 
Chilblain Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold 
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, etc. Could be appendicitis 
Chorea Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and
dancing 
Cold plague Ague which is characterized by chills Congestive
chills Malaria 
Consumption Tuberculosis 
Congestive chills Malaria with diarrhea 
Congestive fever Malaria 
Coryza A cold 
Costiveness Constipation 
Cramp colic Appendicitis 
Crop sickness Overextended stomach 
Cynanche Throat Disease 

 
Debility Lack of movement or staying in bed 
Decrepitude Feebleness due to old age 
Deplumation Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss 
Diary fever A fever that lasts one day 
Diphtheria Contagious disease of the throat 
Dock Fever Yellow Fever 
Dropsy Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease 
Dry Bellyache Lead poisoning 
Dysentery Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous
and blood 
Dysorexy Reduced appetite 
Dysury Difficulty in urination 

 
Ecstasy A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason 
Eel thing Erysipelas 
Edema Nephrosis; swelling of tissues & Edema of lungs is
Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy
Elephantiasis A form of leprosy 
Enteric fever Typhoid Fever 
Enterocolitis Inflammation of the intestines 
Enteritis Inflations of the bowels 
Epitaxis Nose bleed 
Erysipelas Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with
vesicular & bulbous lesions 
Extravasted blood Rupture of a blood vessel 

 
Falling sickness Epilepsy Fits Sudden attack or seizure of muscle
activity 
Flux An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage
or diarrhea 
French pox Syphilis 

 
Gravel Kidney or Gallstones 
Great pox Syphilis 
Green fever or sickness Anemia 
Grippe 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 
Hectical complaint Recurrent fever 
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 
Inanition Physical condition resulting from lack of food 

 
Jail fever Typhus 
Jaundice Condition caused by blockage of intestines 

 
King's Evil Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands 
Kruchhusten Whooping cough 

 
Lagrippe Influenza 
Lockjaw Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of
the neck and jaw if untreated, it is fatal in 8 days 
Long sickness Tuberculosis 
Lues disease or Venereal disease venera 
Lumbago Back pain 
Lung fever Pneumonia 
Lung sickness Tuberculosis 
Lying in Time of delivery of infant 

 
Malignant sore throat Diphtheria 
Marasmus Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition 
Membranous Croup Diphtheria 
Meningitis Inflammation of brain or spinal cord 
Metritis Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge 
Miasma Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air 
Milk Fever, undulant fever Disease from drinking contaminated
milk or brucellosis 
Milk leg Post partum thrombophlebitis 
Milk sickness Disease caused by drinking milk from cows which
had eaten poisonous weeds 
Mormal Gangrene 
Morphew Scurvy blisters on the body 
Mortification Gangrene of necrotic tissue 
Myelitis Inflammation of the spine 
Myocarditis Inflammation of heart muscles 

 
Necrosis Mortification of bones or tissue 
Nephrosis Kidney degeneration 
Nephritis Inflammation of kidneys 
Nervous prostration Extreme exhaustion from inability to control
physical and mental activities 

 
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 
Phthiriasis Lice infestation 
Plague An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high
fatality rate 
Pleurisy Any pain in the chest area with each breath 
Podagra Gout 
Polio Potter's Asthma Fibroid Pthisis (Chronic wasting away or
another name for tuberculosis) 
Pott's Disease Tuberculosis of the Spine Puerperal Exhaustion
Death due to childbirth 
Puerperal Fever Elevated temperature after giving birth 
Puking Fever Milk Sickness 
Putrid Fever Diphtheria Quinsy Tonsillitis Remitting Fever Malaria 

 
Rheumatism Pain in the joints 
Rose cold Hay fever 
Rottany Fever A form of child's fever 
Rubeola German Measles 

 
Sanguineous crust Scab 
Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever A disease characterized by a red
rash 
Scarlet Rash Roseola 
Scirrhus Cancerous tumors 
Scotomy Dizziness, nausea & dimness of sight 
Scrivener's Palsy Writer's cramp 
Screws Rheumatism 
Scrofula Tuberculosis of the neck lymph glands 
Scrumpox Skin disease or impetigo 
Scurvy Lack of vitamin C 
Septicemia Blood poisoning 
Shakes Delirium tremens (DT's) 
Shaking Chills or ague 
Siriasis Inflammation of the brain caused by sun exposure 
Ship fever Typhus 
Sloes Milk sickness 
Smallpox Contagious disease with fever & blisters 
Softening of the brain Stroke or hemorrhage in the brain resulting
in softening of the tissue in that area 
Sore throat distemper Diphtheria or quinsy Spanish influenza 
Spotted fever Typhus or meningitis 
Sprue Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders
and sore throat 
St. Anthony's fire or Named because the affected areas of the
skin are bright red in Erysipelas appearance 
St. Vitas or Viper's Dance Involuntary rapid jerking movements
that don't cease 
Stomatitis Inflammation of the mouth 
Stranger's fever Yellow Fever 
Strangery Rupture 
Sudor anglicus Sweating sickness (see below) 
Summer complaint Diarrhea, usually caused by spoiled milk 
Swamp sickness Malaria, typhoid or encephalitis 
Sweating sickness Infectious & fatal disease common to United
Kingdom in the 15th century 

 
Tussis Convulsiva Whooping Cough 
Typhus (Typhoid Fever) Infectious fever characterized by high
fever, headache & dizziness 

 
Variola Smallpox 

 
White swelling Tuberculosis of the bone 
Winter fever Pneumonia 
Womb fever Infection of the uterus 
Worm fit Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated
temperature or diarrhea 

 
Yellowjacket Yellow fever