OLD DISEASES
And Their Modern Definitions
- ACUTE MANIA
-- Severe Insanity
- ADDISON'S DISEASE
-- A destructive disease marked by weakness, loss of weight, low blood pressure, gastrointestinal disturbances, and brownish pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes.
- APHONIA
-- Laryngitis
- APOPLEXY
-- Stroke
- AGUE
-- Used to define the recurring fever & chills of malarial infection
- BILIOUSNESS
-- Jaundice or other symptoms associated with liver disease
- BLACK JAUNDICE (WIEL'S DISEASE)
-- Black jaundice is a common term for Wiel's Disease. It is quite common in northeast England near mines, farms and sewage and floats about in water.
It is caused by a micro-organism and thus is a bacterial infection (of the liver) and not a virus, as in hepatitis. It is carried by rats and secreted in their urine. It is usually not fatal, in present time, to humans. It is, however, rapidly fatal to dogs and cats, who can eventually gain a resistance, but either way can pass it on.
- BRIGHT'S DISEASE
-- Bright's Disease is a catch-all for kidney diseases/disorders
- CAMP FEVER
-- Typhus
- CANINE MADNESS
-- Hydrophobia
- CARDITIS
-- Inflammation of the heart wall
- CATARRH
-- Inflammation of mucous membrane
- CHLOROSIS
-- Iron deficency anemia
- CHOREA (ST. VITUS' DANCE)
-- Nervous disorder
- COMMOTION
-- Concussion
- CONSUMPTION
-- Tuberculosis
- CORRUPTION
-- Infection
- CORZA
-- A cold
- COSTIVENESS
-- Constipation
- CRAMP COLIC
-- Appendicitis
- CROUP
-- Spasmodic laryngitis especially of infants, marked by episodes of difficult breathing and hoarse metallic cough
- DEATH FROM "TEETHING"
-- Tooth infections with inflammation and cellulitis were clearly important causes of illness and death before there was adequate dentistry.
- DOMESTIC ILLNESS
-- Polite way of saying mental breakdown, depression, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, or the after effects of a stroke or any illness that kept a person housebound and probably in need of nursing support.
- DROPSY
-- Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease. Dropsy would be called congestive heart failure today.
It is an accumulation of fluid around the heart, for a variety of complex reasons, and one treatment is administration of digitalis (foxglove leaves).
- DYSPEPSIA
-- Acid indigestion
- EXTRAVASTATED BLOOD -- Rupture of a blood vessel
- FALLING SICKNESS
-- Epilepsy
- FLUX OF HUMOUR
-- Circulation
- FRENCH POX
-- A veneral disease
- GOUT
-- Any inflammation, not just in a joint or extremity, caused by the formation of crystals of oxalic acid when it accumulates in the body. It most often occurs in joints where circulation is poor, and can even cause gallstones or kidney stones. Gout is a disease caused by a buildup of urate or uric acid in the body, which crystallizes out in areas without much rapid blood flow and can cause damage when, for example a toe is stubbed.
- GREEN SICKNESS
-- Anemia
- HIP GOUT
-- Osteomylitis
- JAIL FEVER
-- Typhus
- KING'S EVIL (SCROFULA) -- Tubercular infection of the throat lymph glands
- LA GRIPPE
-- Flu
- LUES
-- Syphilis
- LUES VENERA
-- Veneral disease
- LUMBAGO
-- Back pain
- LUNG FEVER
-- Pneumonia
- LUNG SICKNESS
-- Tuberculosis
- MANIA
-- Insanity
- MARASMUS
-- Progressive emaciation
- MEMBRANOUS CROUP
-- Hoarse cough
- MILK LEG
-- A painful swelling of the leg beginning at the ankle and ascending, or at the groin and extending down the thigh. It's usual cause is infection after labor.
- MORTIFICATION
-- Infection
- NEURASTHENIA
-- Neurotic condition
- NOSTALGIA
-- Homesickness
- POTT'S DISEASE
-- Tuberculosis of the spine with destruction of the bone resulting in curvature of the spine
- PROTEIN DISEASE
-- A once relatively common childhood kidney disease that causes the kidney to leak protien. This is a secondary allergic reaction to certain kinds of strep infections.
- PUTRID FEVER
-- Diptheria
- QUINSY
-- Tonsilitis
- REMITTING FEVER
-- Malaria
- SANGUINEOUS CRUST
-- Scab
- SCREWS
-- Rheumatism
- SCROFULA
-- See King's Evil
- SEPTICEMIA
-- Blood poisoning
- SHIP'S FEVER
-- Typhus
- STRANGERY
-- Rupture
- SUMMER COMPLAINT
-- Dysentery or baby diarrhea caused by spoiled milk
- VENESECTION (BLEEDING VENESECTION)
-- Bleeding
