CIVIL WAR MEDICAL TERMS:

( Diseases found on Death Certificates )

  • 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.

  • Asphyxia/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 Smallpox

  • 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.

  • Cachexia - Malnutrition

  • Caco Gastric - Upset stomach

  • Casopisy - 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

  • Childbed 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.

  • Cholecystitis - inflammation of the gallbladder

  • Cholelithiasis - Gallstones

  • 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 - Over Extended 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

  • Diphtheria - 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 disease (Glomerulonephritis) 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

  • Eclampsia - 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

  • Epistaxis - Nosebleed

  • Erysipelas - Contagious skin disease, due to Streptococci with vesicular and bullous lesions.

  • Extravasated 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

  • Hemiplegia - Paralysis of one side of body

  • Hip Gout - Osteomyelitis

  • Horrors - Delirium tremens

  • Hydrocephalus - Enlarged head, water on the brain

  • Hydropericardium - Heart dropsy

  • Hydrophobia - Rabies

  • Hydrothorax - 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

  • Keuchhusten - Whooping cough

  • La Grippe - 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 - Postpartum 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

  • Nephritis - 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

  • Peritonitis - Inflammation of abdominal area

  • Petechial Fever - Fever characterized by skin spotting

  • 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 phthisis

  • 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

  • Scirrhous - 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

  • Psoriasis - 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. Vitus’ Dance - Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntarily

  • 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.

  • Yellow Jacket - Yellow fever.