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Covering Indiana counties of: Clark, Crawford, Dubois, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Lawrence, Orange, Perry, Scott and Washington; and Kentucky counties of Breckinridge, Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson and Meade.

Disease Chart

Donated by Dan Burrows



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.


Atrophy =Wasting away or diminishing in size.


Bad Blood = Syphilis


Bilious fever = Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis.


Biliousness = Jaundice associated with liver disease.


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 throat = Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates)


Blood poisoning = Bacterial infection; septicemia


Bloody flux = Bloody stools


Bloody sweat = Sweating sickness


Bone shave = Sciatica


Brain fever = Meningitis


Breakbone = Dengue fever


Bright's disease = Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys


Bronze John = Yellow fever


Bule = Boil, tumor or swelling.


Cachexy = Malnutrition


Cacogastric = Upset stomach


Cacospysy = Irregular pulse.


Caduceus = Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy.


Camp fever = Typhus; aka Camp diarrhea


Canine madness = Rabies, hydrophobia.


Canker = Ulceration of mouth or lips or herpes simplex.


Catalepsy = Seizures / trances.


Catarrhal = Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy.


Cerebritis = Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning


Chilblain = Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold


Child bed fever = Infection following birth of a child.


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.


Cholecystitus = Inflammation of the gall bladder


Cholelithiasis = Gall stones


Chorea = Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions and dancing.


Cold plague = Ague which is characterized by chills


Colic = An abdominal pain and cramping


Congestive chills = Malaria


Consumption = Tuberculosis.


Congestion = Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs.


Congestive chills = Malaria with diarrhea.


Congestive fever = Malaria.


Corruption = Infection


Coryza = A cold.


Costiveness = Constipation


Cramp colic = Appendicitis


Crop sickness = Overextended stomach


Croup = Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat


Cyanosis = Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood


Cynanche = Diseases of throat


Cystitis = Inflammation of the bladder


Day fever = Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness


Debility = Lack of movement or staying in bed.


Decrepitude = Feebleness due to old age


Delirium tremens = Hallucinations due to alcoholism


Dengue = Infectious fever endemic to East Africa


Dentition = Cutting of teeth


Deplumation = Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss


Diary fever = A fever that lasts one day


Diptheria = Contagious disease of the throat


Distemper = Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia


Dock fever = Yellow fever


Dropsy = Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease.


Dropsy of the Brain = Encephalitis


Dry Bellyache = Lead poisoning


Dyscrasy = An abnormal body condition


Dysentery = Inflammation of colon with frequent passage


Dysorexy = Reduced appetite of mucous and blood.


Dyspepsia = Indigestion and heartburn. Heart attack symptoms.


Dysury = Difficulty in urination


Eclampsy = Symptoms of epilepsy, convulsions during labor


Ecstasy = A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason


Edema = Nephrosis; swelling of tissues


Edema of lungs = Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy


Eel thing = Erysipelas


Elephantiasis = A form of leprosy


Encephalitis = Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness


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 and bulbous lesions.


Extravasted blood = Rupture of a blood vessel.


Falling sickness = Epilepsy


Fatty Liver = Cirrhosis of liver


Fits = Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity.


Flux = An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea.


Flux of humour = Circulation.


French pox = Syphilis


Gathering = A collection of pus


Glandular fever = Mononucleosis


Great pox = Syphilis


Green fever / sickness = Anemia


Grippe/grip = 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


Heat stroke = Body temperature elevates because of surrounding environment temperature and body does not perspire to reduce temperature. Coma and death result if not reversed


Hectical complaint = Recurrent fever


Hematemesis = Vomiting blood


Hematuria = Bloody urine


Hemiplegy = Paralysis of one side of body


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


Infantile paralysis = Polio


Intestinal colic = Abdominal pain due to improper diet


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. Untreated, it is fatal in 8 days.


Long sickness = Tuberculosis.


Lues disease = Syphilis.


Lues venera = Venereal disease.


Lumbago = Back pain.


Lung fever = Pneumonia


Lung sickness = Tuberculosis


Lying in = Time of delivery of infant.


Malignant sore throat = Diphtheria.


Mania = Insanity.


Marasmus = Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition.


Membranous Croup = Diphtheria


Meningitis = Inflations of brain or spinal cord


Metritis = Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge


Miasma = Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air


Milk fever = Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis


Milk leg = Post partum thrombophlebitis.


Milk sickness = Disease from milk of cattle 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


Nepritis = Inflammation of kidneys


Nervous prostration = Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities


Neuralgia = Described as discomfort, such as "Headache" was neuralgia in head.


Nostalgia = Homesickness.


Palsy = Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles. It was listed as "Cause of death"


Paroxysm = Convulsion


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 Puerperal exhaustion Death due to child birth


Phthiriasis = Lice infestation


Phthisis = Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis.


Plague = An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate.


Pleurisy = Any pain in the chest area with each breath


Podagra = Gout


Poliomyelitis = Polio


Potter's asthma = Fibroid pthisis


Pott's disease = Tuberculosis of spine


Puerperal exhaustion = Death due to childbirth


Puerperal fever = Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant


Puking fever = Milk sickness


Putrid fever = Diphtheria.


Quinsy = Tonsillitis.


Remitting fever = Malaria


Rheumatism = Any disorder associated with pain in joints


Rickets = Disease of skeletal system


Rose cold = Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy.


Rotanny fever = (Child's disease) ???


Rubeola = German measles


Sanguineous crust = Scab


Scarlatina = Scarlet fever


Scarlet fever = A disease characterized by red rash


Scarlet rash = Roseola


Sciatica = Rheumatism in the hips


Scirrhus = Cancerous tumors


Scotomy = Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight


Scrivener's palsy = Writer's cramp


Screws = Rheumatism


Scrofula = Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands. Progresses slowly with abscesses and fistulas develop. Young person's disease


Scrumpox = Skin disease, impetigo


Scurvy = Lack of vitamin C. Symptoms of weakness, spongy gums and hemorrhages under skin


Septicemia = Blood poisoning


Shakes = Delirium tremens


Shaking = Chills, ague


Shingles = Viral disease with skin blisters


Ship fever = Typhus


Siriasis = Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure


Sloes = Milk sickness


Small pox = Contagious disease with fever and blisters


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


Spanish influenza = Epidemic influenza


Spasms = Sudden involuntary contraction of muscle or group of muscles, like a convulsion


Spina bifida = Deformity of spine


Spotted fever = Either typhus or meningitis


Sprue = Tropical disease characterized by intestinal


disorders and sore throat St. Anthony's fire = Also erysipelas, but named so because of affected skin areas are bright red in appearance.


St. Vitas dance = Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntary


Stomatitis = Inflammation of the mouth


Stranger's fever = Yellow fever


Strangery = Rupture


Sudor anglicus = Sweating sickness


Summer complaint = Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk.


Sunstroke = Uncontrolled elevation of body temperature due to environment heat. Lack of sodium in the body is a predisposing cause.


Swamp sickness = Could be malaria, typhoid or encephalitis


Sweating sickness = Infectious and fatal disease common to UK in 15th century


Tetanus = Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness


Thrombosis = Blood clot inside blood vessel


Thrush = Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat


Tick fever = Rocky mountain spotted fever


Toxemia of pregnancy = Eclampsia


Trench mouth = Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene


Tussis convulsiva = Whooping cough


Typhus = Infectious fever characterized high fever, headache, and dizziness


Variola = Smallpox


Venesection = Bleeding


Viper's dance = St. Vitus Dance


Water on brain = Enlarged head


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.




© 1997 Dee Floyd-Pavey
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