THE NEWMAN & WALKER
FAMILY TREES
Home Newman Lockton & Lovitt Walker & Scott Panter
The HiFtorical RegiFter,
containing an impartial
relation of
all tranSactionS, foreign and domeFtic, with a Chronological Diary of all
the Remarkable OccurrenceS, viz. BirthS, MarriageS, DeathS, Removals,
Promotions &c. that happened in this year, Volume V for the year 1720, published
at the
expence (sic) of the Sun Fire Office
or
More than you ever wanted to know about causes of death
This list came from the above book, which
provides a fascinating insight to
causes of death in 1720. What, for instance, can St Anthony's Fire be? Tissick? Horse-shoe Head? Planet struck?
The figures in brackets refer to the explanations for some of these terms.
Thanks to the many people who provided the explanations and links to medical
sites for further reading.
The General Bill of all the Christenings and Burials with the ...... and
Casualties from Dec 15 1719 to Dec 13 1720.
Christen'd
Bury'd
Males 8877
Males 12713
Females 8602
Females 12741
In all 17479
Decreased in the
Burials this year 2893
Causes of Death
Abortive 132
Gravel 5 (10)
Rising of the lights 22
(7)
Aged 2317
Grief 12
Rupture 20
Ague 15
Griping in the guts 731
St Anthony's Fire 8
(1)
Apoplexy 82 (17)
Head Mould shot 66
Scald head 2 (6)
Asthma 86
Hooping cough 33
Scarlet fever 3
Bedridden 3
Horse shoe head 46 (15) Scurvey 1
Bleeding 4
Jaundice 107
Small pox 1440
Bloody Flux 11 (4) Imposthume 47 (20)
Sores and ulcers 32
Bursten 6 (18)
Infants 14
Spleen 6
Cancer 64
Inflammation 6
Spotted fever 66 (13)
Canker 20
Lethargy 6
Still-born 562
Childbed 260
Liver-grown 1 (21)
Stone 59 (23)
Chin-cough 10 (3)
Looseness 45
Stop in stomach 125
Chrisoms 56 (19) Lunatick 44
Strangury 10 (24)
Cholick 98
Measles 213
Suddenly 119
Consumption 3054
Mortification 184 (11)
Surfeit 8 (14)
Convulsion 6787
Pain in the head 3
Teeth 1817
Diabetes 5
Pain in the stomach 1
Thrusa 80
Dropsy 1021
Planet struck 1 (16)
Tissick 455
(2)
Evil 24
Palsy 40
Twisting of the Guts 77
Fever 3910 Plurisy 32
Tympany 9
(8)
Fistula 12 (5)
Purples 16 (12)
Vomiting 21
Flux 11
Quinsy 7 (22) Water in the Head 110
French Pox 108 (25)
Rash 10
White swelling 1 (9)
Gangrene 5
Rheumatism 22
Worms 75
Gout 30
Rickets 84
Casualties
Broken leg 2
Frighted 1
Scalded 1
Bruised 3
Kill'd accidently 47
Shot 1
Burnt 3
Kill'd by falls 13
Smother'd 4
Drown'd 66
Kill'd with a sword 3
Stabb'd 1
Excessive drinking 18
Murder'd 4
Suffocated 3
Executed 20
Overlaid 69
Found dead 21
(1) St Anthony's Fire is an old term for ergotism or
ergot poisoning leading to gangrene (eg from eating bread made with rye on which
a certain fungus is growing) although it was also more commonly used for
erysipelas, an infection of the face caused by streptococcal bacteria. Ergot (Claviceps
purpea) is a fungus that affects rye and sometimes other grains. Ergot contains
lysergic acid, the active principle of the psychedelic drug LSD. In Medieval
times outbreaks of St. Anthony's Fire were common in countries where populations
subsisted on rye bread. St. Anthony's Fire is a toxic condition whose symptoms
include hallucinations, disorientation, muscle cramps, convulsions,
miscarriages, and gangrene and may result in death. It affects both humans and
animals. Some beneficial drugs are also provided by ergot, used to treat
migraines, to induce labour and to control uterine bleeding.
(2) Tissick - a cough. Tuberculosis.
(3) Chin cough - whooping cough.
(4) Bloody flux - dysentery.
(5) Fistula - a narrow passage or duct formed by disease or injury, as one leading from an abcess to a free surface, or from one cavity to another.
(6) Scald head - Seborrhoeic eczema of the scalp. (Can you die of this???)
(7) Rising of the lights - Lights is an old term for the lungs, so this means choking or breathlessness..
(8) Tympany - There are three terms that are similar to this one, and they are all to do with the ear. A tumour.
(9) White swelling - Tuberculosis of the bone or joints.
(10) Gravel - Passage of small stones formed in the kidneys with the urine.
(11) Mortification - Gangrene, necrosis or severe infection.
(12) Purples - Purpura, this is a rash due to spontaneous bleeding in to the skin.
(13) Spotted Fever - Typhus.
(14) Surfeit - Means vomiting from overeating or gluttony.
(15) Horse shoe head - Water on the brain.
(16) Planet-struck seems to be a "sudden and apparently causeless stroke of disease" for example, epilepsy, paralysis or lunacy.
(17) Apoplexy - stroke.
(18) Bursten - Rupture.
(19) Chrisom - child who died before baptism or shortly after.
(20) Impostume - cyst or abscess.
(21) Liver grown - enlarged liver.
(22) Quinsy - throat inflammation.
(23) Stone - gallstones.
(24) Stranguary - urinary disease.
(25) French Pox - I think we all know what this is. I believe the French used to call it the English Pox!
If you still want to find out more, here is
a list of useful sites:-
http://footguards.tripod.com/01ABOUT/01_sickness.htm
Archaic Medical Terms
http://www.paul_smith.doctors.org.uk/ArchaicMedicalTerms.htm
MEDICAL TERMS FROM DAYS OF OLD
http://www.jansdigs.com/Racine/medical.html
Medical Terms - Links to Medical Terminalogy sites
http://www.coraweb.com.au/medico.htm
For a glossary of historic disease names, see:
http://www.bignell.uk.com/glossary_of_old_names.htm