It was interesting to see what our ancestors may have died from. Thought you might enjoy reading it as well.

This list of medical ailments--which may help decipher death certificates or hospital records.

1. Ablepsy - Blindness
2. Ague - Malarial Fever
3. American plague - Yellow fever
4. Anasarca - Generalized massive edema
5. Aphonia - Laryngitis
6. Aphtha - The infant disease "thrush"
7. Apoplexy - Paralysis due to stroke
8. Asphycsia/Asphicsia - Cyanotic and lack of oxygen
9. Atrophy - Wasting away or diminishing in size.
10. Bad Blood - Syphilis
11. Bilious fever - Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis
12. Biliousness - Jaundice associated with liver disease Black plague or death
13. Bubonic plague Black fever - Acute infection with high temperature and dark red skin lesions and high mortality rate
14. Black pox - Black Small pox Black vomit - Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever
15. Blackwater fever - Dark urine associated with high temperature
16. Bladder in throat - Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates)
17. Blood poisoning - Bacterial infection; septicemia
18. Bloody flux - Bloody stools
19. Bloody sweat - Sweating sickness
20. Bone shave - Sciatica Brain fever- Meningitis Breakbone - Dengue fever
21. Bright's disease - Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys
22. Bronze John - Yellow fever
23. Bule - Boil, tumor or swelling
24. Cachexy - Malnutrition
25. Cacogastric - Upset stomach
26. Cacospysy - Irregular pulse
27. Caduceus - Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy
28. Camp fever - Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea
29. Canine madness - Rabies, hydrophobia
30. Canker - Ulceration of mouth or lips or herpes simplex
31. Catalepsy - Seizures / trances
32. Catarrhal - Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy
33. Cerebritis - Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning
34. Chilblain - Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold
35. Child bed fever - Infection following birth of a child
36. Chin cough - Whooping cough
37. Chlorosis - Iron deficiency anemia
38. Cholera - Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing
39. Cholera morbus - Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, Cevated temperature, etc. Could be appendicitis
40. Cholecystitus - Inflammation of the gall bladder
41. Cholelithiasis - Gall stones
42. Chorea - Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing
43. Cold plague - Ague which is characterized by chills
44. Colic - An abdominal pain and cramping
45. Congestive chills - Malaria Consumption - Tuberculosis Congestion - Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs Congestive chills - Malaria with diarrhea
46. Congestive fever - Malaria Corruption - Infection Coryza - A cold
47. Costiveness - Constipation Cramp colic - Appendicitis Crop sickness - Overextended stomach
48. Croup - Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat
49. Cyanosis - Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood
50. Cynanche - Diseases of throat
51. Cystitis - Inflammation of the bladder
52. Day fever -Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness
53. Debility - Lack of movement or staying in bed
54. Decrepitude - Feebleness due to old age
55. Delirium tremens -Hallucinations due to alcoholism
56. Dengue - Infectious fever endemic to East
57. Africa Dentition - Cutting of teeth
58. Deplumation - Tumor of the eyelids
59. which causes hair loss
60. Diary fever - A fever that lasts one day
61. Diptheria
62. - Contagious disease of the throat
63. Distemper - Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia
64. Dock fever - Yellow fever
65. Dropsy - Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease
66. Dropsy of the Brain - Encephalitis Dry Bellyache - Lead poisoning
67. Dyscrasy - An abnormal body condition
68. Dysentery - Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood
69. Dysorexy - Reduced appetite
70. Dyspepsia - Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms
71. Dysury - Difficulty in urination
72. Eclampsy - Symptoms of epilepsy, convulsions during labor
73. Ecstasy - A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason
74. Edema -Nephrosis; swelling of tissues
75. Edema of lungs - Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy
76. Eel thing - Erysipelas
77. Elephantiasis - A form of leprosy
78. Encephalitis - Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness
79. Enteric fever - Typhoid fever
80. Enterocolitis - Inflammation of the intestines
81. Enteritis - Inflations of the bowels
82. Epitaxis - Nose bleed
83. Erysipelas - Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions
84. Extravasted blood - Rupture of a blood vessel
85. Falling sickness - Epilepsy
86. Fatty Liver - Cirrhosis of liver
87. Fits - Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity
88. Flux - An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea
89. Flux of humour - Circulation
90. French pox - Syphilis Gathering - A collection of pus
91. Glandular fever - Mononucleosis
92. Great pox - Syphilis
93. Green fever / sickness - Anemia
94. Grippe/grip - Influenza like symptoms
95. Grocer's itch - Skin disease caused by mites in sugar or flour
96. Heart sickness - Condition caused by loss of salt from body
97. Heat stroke - Body temperature elevates because of surrounding environment temperature and
98. body does not perspire to reduce temperature. Coma and death result if
99. not reversed
100. Hectical complaint - Recurrent fever
101. Hematemesis - Vomiting blood
102. Hematuria - Bloody urine
103. Hemiplegy - Paralysis of one side of body
104. Hip gout - Osteomylitis
105. Horrors - Delirium tremens
106. Hydrocephalus - Enlarged head, water on the brain
107. Hydropericardium - Heart dropsy
108. Hydrophobia - Rabies
109. Hydrothroax - Dropsy in chest
110. Hypertrophic - Enlargement of organ, like the heart
111. Impetigo - Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules
112. Inanition - Physical condition resulting from lack of food
113. Infantile paralysis - Polio Intestinal colic - Abdominal pain due to improper diet
114. Jail fever - Typhus
115. Jaundice - Condition caused by blockage of intestines
116. King's evil - Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands
117. Kruchhusten - Whooping cough
118. Lagrippe - Influenza
119. Lockjaw - Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of the neck and jaw. Untreated,
120. it is fatal in 8 days
121. Long sickness - Tuberculosis
122. Lues disease - Syphilis
123. Lues venera - Venere
124. Lung fever - Pneumonia
125. Lung sickness - Tuberculosis
126. Lying in - Time of delivery of infant
127. Malignant sore throat - Diphtheria
128. Mania - Insanity
129. Marasmus - Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition
130. Membranous Croup - Diphtheria
131. Meningitis - Inflations of brain or spinal cord
132. Metritis - Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge
133. Miasma - Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air
134. Milk fever - Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis
135. Milk leg - Post partum thrombophlebitis
136. Milk sickness - Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds
137. Mormal - Gangrene
138. Morphew - Scurvy blisters on the body
139. Mortification - Gangrene of necrotic tissue
140. Myelitis - Inflammation of the spine
141. Myocarditis - Inflammation of heart muscles
142. Necrosis - Mortification of bones or tissue
143. Nephrosis - Kidney degeneration
144. Nepritis - Inflammation of kidneys
145. Nervous prostration - Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities
146. Neuralgia - Described as discomfort, such as "Headache" was neuralgia in head
147. Nostalgia - Homesickness
148. Palsy - Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. It was listed as "Cause of death"
149. Paroxysm - Convulsion
150. Pemphigus - Skin disease of watery blisters
151. Pericarditis - Inflammation of heart
152. Peripneumonia - Inflammation of lungs
153. Peritonotis - Inflammation of abdominal area
154. Petechial Fever - Fever characterized by skin spotting
155. Puerperal exhaustion - Death due to child birth
156. Phthiriasis - Lice infestation
157. Phthisis - Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis
158. Plague - An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate
159. Pleurisy - Any pain in the chest area with each breath
160. Podagra - Gout
161. Poliomyelitis - Polio
162. Potter's asthma - Fibroid pthisis
163. Pott's disease - Tuberculosis of spine
164. Puerperal exhaustion - Death due to childbirth
165. Puerperal fever - Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant
166. Puking fever - Milk sickness
167. Putrid fever - Diphtheria
168. Quinsy - Tonsillitis
169. Remitting fever - Malaria
170. Rheumatism - Any disorder associated with pain in joints
171. Rickets - Disease of skeletal system
172. Rose cold - Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy
173. Rotanny fever - (Child's disease) ???
174. Rubeola - German measles
175. Sanguineous crust - Scab
176. Scarlatina - Scarlet fever
177. Scarlet fever - A disease characterized by red rash
178. Scarlet rash - Roseola
179. Sciatica - Rheumatism in the hips
180. Scirrhus - Cancerous tumors
181. Scotomy - Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight
182. Scrivener's palsy - Writer's cramp
183. Screws - Rheumatism
184. Scrofula - Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and pistulas develop. Young person's disease
185. Scrumpox - Skin disease, impetigo
186. Scurvy - Lack of vitamin C, Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin
187. Septicemia - Blood poisoning
188. Shakes - Delirium tremens
189. Shaking - Chills, ague
190. Shingles - Viral disease with skin blisters
191. Ship fever - Typhus
192. Siriasis - Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure
193. Sloes - Milk sickness
194. Small pox - Contagious disease with fever and blisters
195. Softening of brain - Result of stroke or hemorrhage in the brain, with an end result of the tissue softening in that area Sore throat distemper - Diphtheria or quinsy
196. Spanish influenza - Epidemic influenza
197. Spasms - Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, like a convulsion
198. Spina bifida - Deformity of spine
199. Spotted fever - Either typhus or meningitis
200. Sprue - Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders and sore throat
201. St. Anthony's fire - Also Srysipelas, but named so because of affected skin areas are bright red in appearance
202. St. Vitas dance - Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntarily
203. Stomatitis - Inflammation of the mouth
204. Stranger's fever - Yellow fever
205. Strangery - Rupture
206. Sudor anglicus - Sweating sickness
207. Summer complaint - Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk
208. Sunstroke - Uncontrolled elevation of body temperature due to environment heat. Lack of sodium in the body is a predisposing cause
209. Swamp sickness - Could be malaria, typhoid or encephalitis
210. Sweating sickness - Infectious and fatal disease common to UK in 15th century
211. Tetanus - Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness
212. Thrombosis - Blood clot inside blood vessel
213. Thrush - Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat
214. Tick fever - Rocky mountain spotted fever
215. Toxemia of pregnancy - Eclampsia
216. Trench mouth - Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene
217. Tussis convulsiva - Whooping cough
218. Typhus - Infectious fever haracterized high fever, headache, and dizziness
219. Variola - Smallpox
220. Venesection - Bleeding
221. Viper's dance - St. Vitus Dance
222. Water on brain - Enlarged head
223. White swelling - Tuberculosis of the bone
224. Winter fever - Pneumonia
225. Womb fever - Infection of the uterus
226. Worm fit - Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature or diarrhea
227. Yellowjacket - Yellow fever.

Outdated medical terminology. Over time, many disease names have changed. Below is a list of some of the old terms that you may come across and their current names.

OUTDATED TERM	CURRENT TERM
apoplexy	stroke
bad blood	syphilis
blood poisoning	septicemia(overwhelming bacterial infection)
Bright's disease	glomerulonephritis (serious kidney disease)
consumption	tuberculosis, pulmonary
cretinism	hypothyroidism, congenital
dropsy	congestive heart failure
fatty liver	cirrhosis
glandular fever	mononucleosis
grippe	influenza (flu) killed lots of people in 1918
jail fever	typhus
lock jaw	tetanus
lung fever	pneumonia
lung sickness	tuberculosis
plague/black death	Bubonic plague
podagra	gout
Pott's disease	tuberculosis of the spinal vertebrae
quinsy	streptococcal tonsillitis
scrofula	tuberculosis of the neck lymph nodes
toxemia of pregnancy	eclampsia (high blood pressure & seizures)