Abasia

Loss or impairment of the power of walking. [Appleton1904]

Ablepsy / Ablepsia

Blindness. Also an old synonym of apolepsia and epilepsy. [Appleton1904]

Abortion

The expulsion of the foetus before the seventh month of utero-gestation, or before it is viable. [Dunglison1868]

Abortion, Spontaneous

Abortion occurring naturally; popularly known as miscarriage. [Dorland]

Abortus

A miscarriage.

Abscess

Apostema. An imposthume, gathering, or boil; a collection of pus formed or deposited in some tissue or organ. [Hoblyn1855]

A collection of pus in a cavity, the result of a morbid process. [Dunglison1868].

A collection of pus or purulent matter in any tissue or organ of the body, the result of a morbid process. [Webster1913].

Example from an 1898 Cemetery record from Maine:

Cerebral Abscess

Encephalopyosis: suppuration of the brain. When accompanied with emaciation and hectic, it is called Encephalophthisis. [Dunglison1868]

Cold Abscess

An abscess of slow formation, unattended with the pain and heat characteristic of ordinary abscesses, and lasting for years without exhibiting any tendency towards healing; a chronic abscess. [Webster1913].

Ethmoidal Abscess

Abscess. Of, relating to, or being a light spongy bone located between the orbits, forming part of the walls and septum of the superior nasal cavity, and containing numerous perforations for the passage of the fibers of the olfactory nerves. [Heritage]

Metastatic Abscess

A secondary cancerous growth formed by transmission of cancerous cells from a primary growth located elsewhere in the body. [Heritage]

Acholia

Absence of bile, arrest of the functions of the liver so that matters from which bile is formed accumulate in the blood producing toxemia. [Wilson1893]

A small pustule containing a straw colored fluid, and forming scaly eruptions about the head of young children; a species of scald-head. [Thomas1875]

Acne

A small pimple or tubercle on the face. [Dunglison1868]

Acne Rosacea

Rosacea

Addison's Disease

A morbid condition causing a peculiar brownish discoloration of the skin, and thought, at one time, to be due to disease of the suprarenal capsules (two flat triangular bodies covering the upper part of the kidneys), but now known not to be dependent upon this causes exclusively. It is usually fatal. [Webster1913].

A disease caused by partial or total failure of adrenocortical function, which is characterized by a bronze like pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes, anemia, weakness, and low blood pressure. [Heritage].

The U.S. President J.F. Kennedy is said to have had Addison disease. Named after the British physician Thomas Addison (1793-1860).When Addison first identified adrenal insufficiency in 1849, tuberculosis (TB) was responsible for 70-90% of cases. As the treatment for TB improved, the incidence of adrenal insufficiency due to TB of the adrenal glands greatly decreased. TB now accounts for around 20% of cases of primary adrenal insufficiency in developed countries. [Medicinenet]

Addle

Abscess

Aden Fever

Dengue

Aden Ulcer

Beriberi

Adenitis

Inflammation of a gland.

Adenoma

A tumor having a glandular structure. [Appleton1904]

Adenomegaly

Enlargement of a gland.

Adenomeningeal Fever

Fever, accompanied with considerable mucous secretion; especially from the digestive tube; Febris Adenomeningea. [Dunglison1868]

Adenopathy

Enlargement of a lymph node.

Adust

Having much heat in the constitution and little serum in the blood. [Obs.] Hence: Atrabilious; sallow; gloomy. [Webster1913]

Adynamia

Loss of strength or vigor, usually because of disease. [Heritage]

Affection

Any existing disorder of the whole body, or part of it: as hysterics, leprosy, etc. Thus, by adding a descriptive epithet to the term affection, most distempers may be expressed. And hence we say febrile affection, cutaneous affection, etc., using the word affection synonymously with disease. [Hooper1843]

African Cachexia

A disease observed in negroes, perhaps identical with miners' Anemia. [Appleton1904]

African Fever

The malignant bilious remittent fever, which prevails on the western coast of Africa. Febris Africana. [Dunglison1868].

An intermittent, remittent, or pernicious malarial fever occurring on the African coast. [Appleton1904]

African Sleeping Sickness

African Trypanosomiasis

African Trypanosomiasis

An often fatal, endemic infectious disease of humans and animals in tropical Africa, caused by either of two trypanosomes (Trypanosoma rhodesiense or T. gambiense) transmitted by the tsetse fly and characterized by fever, severe headache, and lymph node swelling in the early stages, followed by extreme weakness, sleepiness, and deep coma. Also called African sleeping sickness. [Heritage]

Fact sheet from CDC

Aglutition

Inability to swallow.

Agony

The last struggle of life against death. The series of phenomena which usually precede death, and which result from the gradual and successive abolition of functions. [Hoblyn1855]

The last struggle of life, closing in death. [Thomas1875]

Severe pain or extreme suffering. Old term for the period just before death occurs, this was thought to be a time of extreme pain. [Dorland]

Agrom

A disease of the tongue, peculiar to the Indians, in which it becomes extremely rough and chopped. [Hooper1822]

An East Indian name for a disease which occurred in Bengal and other parts of India, characterized by roughening and fissuring of the tongue, and sometimes by the development of white spots upon it. [Appleton1904]

Ague

Intermittent fever. This term appears to be derived from a Gothic word denoting trembling or shuddering. [Hoblyn1855]

Intermittent fever; often used in the same sense as chill or rigor. [Dunglison1874]

An intermittent fever, attended by alternate cold and hot fits. The interval of the paroxysms has given rise to the following varieties of ague: an interval of 24 hours constitutes a quotidian ague; of 48 hours, a tertian; of 72 hours, a quartan; of 96 hours, a quintan. [Hoblyn1900]

Malarial or intermittent fever; characterized by paroxysms consisting of chill, fever, and sweating, at regularly recurring times, and followed by an interval or intermission the length of which determines the epithets quotidian, tertian, etc. Synonyms: fever and ague; intermittent fever; periodic fever; malarial fever; marsh fever; paludal fever; miasmatic fever. [Gould1910].

Febris intermittans. A febrile condition in which there are alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating. Used chiefly in reference to the fevers associated with malaria. Archaic term for Malarial Fever. [Dorland]

"Aigue" entered English usage in the 14th century, having crossed the channel from the Middle French "aguë". The word share the same origin as "acute." It descends from the Latin "acutus" meaning "sharp or pointed". A "fievre aigue" in French was a sharp or pointed (or acute) fever. [Medicinenet]

Ague and Fever

Intermittent Fever. [Dunglison1874].

A form of fever recurring in paroxysms which are preceded by chills. It is of malarial origin. [Webster]

Ague Cake

The popular name for a hard tumor, most probably the spleen on the left side of the belly, lower than the false ribs in the region of the spleen, said to be the effect of intermittent fevers. However frequent it might have been formerly, it is now very rare, and although then said to be owing to the use of bark, it is now less frequent since the bark has been generally employed. [Hooper1829].

Enlargement of the spleen, induced by ague, and presenting the appearance of a solid mass or cake. [Hoblyn1900]

An enlargement of the spleen produced by ague. A popular term for a hard tumor on the left side of the body. [CancerWEB]

Ague Fit

The paroxysm of ague.

Brow Ague

Rheumatic pain, felt generally just above the eyebrow. [Hoblyn1855]

Neuralgia of the brow of an intermittent character, supposed to be due to malaria. [Appleton1904]

Covent Garden Ague

Venereal disease: The Ladybird disease. He broke his shins against Covent Garden rails, he caught the disease. [Grose1823].

Covent, or Convent Garden, vulgarly called Common Garden. Anciently, the garden belonging to a dissolved monastery; now famous for being the chief market in London for fruit, flowers, and herbs. The theatres are situated near it. In its environs are many brothels, and, not long ago, the lodgings of the second order of ladies of easy virtue were either there, or in the purieus of Drury lane.

Chronic Ague

Chronic Malarial Fever

Dumb  Ague

A form of intermittent fever which has no well-defined ``chill.''  [Webster]

Face Ague

Tic douloureux. A form of neuralgia, which occurs in the nerves of the face. [Hoblyn1855]

Irish  Ague

Typhus

Leaping Ague

This disease is said by the Scotch writers to be characterized by increased efficiency, but depraved direction, of the will, producing an irresistible propensity to dance, tumble, and move about in a fantastic manner, and often with far more than the natural vigor, activity, and precision. See dancing Mania. [Dunglison1855]

Spotted Ague

Epidemic Typhus

Alastrim

Variola Minor

Albara

The White Leprosy

Albumin Poisoning

Albumin is synthesized in the liver. Low serum levels occur in protein malnutrition, active inflammation and serious hepatic and renal disease. Nephritis. [CancerWEB]

Albuminosis

A condition of the blood, in which the ratio of albumen is increased, as in abdominal typhus, variola, rubeola, etc. [Dunglison1874]

Albuminuria

A condition of the urine in which it contains albumen, the presence of which is indicated by its coagulation on the application of adequate heat, nitric acid, etc. The term has been applied also to diseases characterized by such a condition of urine. Bright's disease of the Kidney. [Dunglison1874]

Aleppo Boil

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Also called: Aleppo Button, Aleppo Evil. [Appleton1904]

Allergy

An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens, foods, or microorganisms. Common indications of allergy may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes. [Heritage]

Alzheimer's Disease

A progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s; first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness. [Wordnet]

Amaas

Variola Minor

Amaurosis

A term for " deprivation of sight," limited chiefly to those forms of defect or loss of vision which are caused by diseases not directly involving the eye. [Britannica1911].

Total loss of vision, especially when occurring without pathological changes to the eye. [Heritage]

Amblosis

Miscarriage

Ambustio Onis

Scalds and Burns

Amebiasis

Infection with any of various amebae. It is an asymptomatic carrier state in most individuals, but diseases ranging from chronic, mild diarrhoea to fulminant dysentery may occur. [CancerWEB]

Information sheet from NYS Dept of Health

Amelia

Congenital absence of an arm or leg. [Wordnet]

Amentia

Mental retardation.

Amnesia

Partial or total loss of memory, usually resulting from shock, psychological disturbance, brain injury, or illness. [Heritage]

Anaematosis

Defective hematosis or preparation of the blood. Anemia. [Dunglison1874]

Anasarca

The anasarca generally begins with a swelling of the feet and ankles towards night, which for some time, disappears in the morning. In the evening the parts, if pressed with the finger, will pit. The swelling gradually ascends, and occupies the trunk of the body, the arms, and the head. Afterwards the breathing becomes difficult, the urine is in small quantity, and the thirst great; the body is bound, and the perspiration is greatly obstructed. To these succeed torpor, heaviness, a slow wasting fever, and a troublesome cough. This last is generally a fatal symptom, as it shows that the lungs are affected. [Buchan1785].

Dropsy of the subcutaneous cellular tissue; an effusion of serum into the cellular substance, occasioning a soft, pale, inelastic swelling of the skin. [Webster1913].

An accumulation of serous fluid in various tissues and cavities of the body. [Heritage]

Anchylosis / Ankylosis

Stiffness or fixation of a joint; formation of a stiff joint. [Webster1913]

Ancome

A small ulcerous swelling, coming suddenly; also, a whitlow [Webster]

Anemia

The condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. [Medicinenet]

Fact sheet from CDC

Aplastic Anemia

Any of a diverse group of anemias characterized by bone marrow failure with reduction of hematopoietic cells and their replacement by fat, resulting in pancytopenia, often accompanied by granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. It may be hereditary; it may be secondary to causes such as toxic, radiant, or immunologic injury to bone marrow stem cells or their microenvironment; it may be associated with various diseases; or it may be idiopathic. [Dorland]

Example from a 1943 Death Certificate from Ohio:

Malignant Anemia

Pernicious Anemia

Pernicious Anemia

A severe form of anemia most often affecting older adults, caused by failure of the stomach to absorb vitamin B12 and characterized by abnormally large red blood cells, gastrointestinal disturbances, and lesions of the spinal cord. Also called Addison's anemia, malignant anemia. [Stedman]

Splenic Anemia

Banti's Syndrome

Malignant Anemia

Pernicious Anemia

Anencephaly

Congenital absence of most of the brain and spinal cord. [Heritage]

Aneurism / Aneurysm

A localized, pathological, blood-filled dilatation of a blood vessel caused by a disease or weakening of the vessel's wall. [Heritage]

Thoracic Aneurysm

An aneurysm of the thoracic aorta.

Angina

Sense of suffocation; applied to diseases in which this is a prominent symptom; also to various affections of the throat. [Hoblyn1855]

Any inflammatory affection of the throat or faces, as the quinsy, malignant sore throat, croup, etc., especially such as tends to produce suffocation, choking, or shortness of breath. [Dorland]

Example from an 1864 Church Record from Slovakia:

Angina Diphtheritica

An obsolete term for diphtheria involving the pharynx or larynx. [CancerWEB]

Angina Maligna

Malignant sore throat. [Hoblyn1855]

Diphtheria

Angina Parotdea

The Mumps

Angina Pectoris

Breat pang; spasm of the chest. [Hoblyn1855]

A disease attended by acute pain, sense of suffocation, and syncope. [Thomas1875]

Chest pain that is typically severe and crushing with a feeling just behind the breastbone (the sternum) of pressure and suffocation, due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The term "angina pectoris" comes from the Latin "angere" meaning "to choke or throttle" + "pectus" meaning "chest". Angina pectoris was first described by the English physician William Heberden (1710-1801) and may be referred to simply as angina. [Medicinenet]

Angina Scarlatinosa

An obsolete term for sore throat of scarlet fever. [CancerWEB]

Angina Simplex

An acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx, and sometimes of the entire pharyngeal structure. [Thomas1907]

Angina Suffocativa

The Croup

Angina Tonsillaris

Sore throat. [Hoblyn1855]

Quincy

Angina Trachealis

Tracheitis; croup, or inflammation of the Traches. [Hoblyn1855]

The Croup

Hogskin Angina

Diphtheria

Anile

Of or like a feeble old woman. [Wordnet]

Animal Disease

A disease that typically does not affect human beings. [Wordnet]

Anoxemia

An abnormal condition due to deficient aeration of the blood, as in balloon sickness, mountain sickness. [Webster1913]

Antiades

The Mumps

Aortitis

Inflammation of the Aorta.

Aphonia

Inability to produce speech sounds. Often due to a disease of the voice producing structures. Laryngitis. [CancerWEB]

Aphtha (Aphthae)

Small whitish ulcers appearing in the mouth. [Buchan1798]

The thrush, sprue; a form of sore mouth occurring mostly in infants, characterized by whitish patches, which may become confluent and give rise to ulceration, and occasionally extend into the œsophagus, consisting of epithelial scales together with the spores, and filaments of a vegetable organism, the Oidium albicans. [Appleton1904]

Roundish pearl-colored specks or flakes in the mouth, on the lips, etc., terminating in white sloughs. They are commonly characteristic of thrush. [Webster]

Aphthous

Pertaining to, resembling, or affected with aphtha.. [Appleton1904]

Pertaining to, or caused by, aphth[ae]; characterized by apht[ae]; as, aphthous ulcers; aphthous fever. [Webster]

Example from an 1852 Pennsylvania Physicians' Return of Death:

Apnea

Temporary absence or cessation of breathing. [Heritage]

Apoplectic

Relating to apoplexy; affected with, inclined to, or symptomatic of, apoplexy; as, an apoplectic person, medicine, habit or temperament, symptom, fit, or stroke. [Webster]

Apoplectic Stroke

Cerebral Apoplexy

Apoplexy

A disease produced by congestion or rupture of the vessels of the brain, and causing a sudden arrest of sense and motion, the person lying as if asleep, respiration and the heart's action continuing. [Thomas1875]

 

Sudden impairment of neurological function, especially from a cerebral hemorrhage; a stroke. An effusion of blood into a tissue or organ. Archaic term for cerebral stroke [Heritage]

 

The word "apoplexy" comes from the Greek "apoplexia" meaning a seizure, in the sense of being struck down. In Greek "plexe" is "a stroke." The ancients believed that someone suffering a stroke (or any sudden incapacity) had been struck down by the gods. [Medicinenet]

"apoplexy" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. [Webster]

Example from a 1909 New York State Death Certificate:

Example from a 1945 Kentucky Death Certificate:

Cerebral Apoplexy

Stroke syndrome affecting the cerebrum. [Dorland]

Pulmonary Apoplexy

Note: Apoplexy is now usually limited to cerebral apoplexy, or loss of consciousness due to effusion of blood or other lesion within the substance of the brain; but it is sometimes extended to denote an effusion of blood into the substance of any organ; as, apoplexy of the lung. [Webster]

Sanguineous Apoplexy

Cerebral hemorrhage

Aposteme

An abscess; a swelling filled with purulent matter. [Written corruptly {imposthume}.  [Webster1913]

Appendicitis

Inflammation of the vermiform appendix. [Dorland]

Arachnitis

Arachnoiditis. Inflammation of the Arachnoid. A variety of Phrenitis. [Dunglison1874]

Arteriosclerosis

A chronic disease in which thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the arterial walls result in impaired blood circulation. It develops with aging, and in hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and other conditions. [Heritage]

Arthritis

Is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. Arthritic diseases include rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, which are autoimmune diseases; septic arthritis, caused by joint infection; and the more common osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Unlike the autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis largely affects older people and results from the degeneration of joint cartilage. Arthritis may also be caused by gout. [Wikipedia].

"arthritis" was first used: 1543. [Webster]

Fact sheet from CDC

Information sheet from NYS Dept of Health

Ascarides

Ascaris

Ascaris

A genus of intestinal worms, characterized by a long, cylindrical body, extenuated at the extremities, and having a mouth furnished with three tubercles, from which a very short tube is sometimes seen issuing. [Dunglison1874]

Fact sheet from CDC

Ascaris Lumbricoides

Intestinal parasite of humans and pigs; Roundworm. [Wordnet]

Ascites

A collection of serous fluid in the abdomen. Ascites proper is dropsy of the peritoneum; and is characterized by increased size of the abdomen, by fluctuation, and general signs of dropsy. It is rarely a primary disease; but is always dangerous. Dropsy of the lower belly. [Dunglison1874]

Asphyxia

Pathological changes caused by lack of oxygen in respired air, resulting in hypoxia and hypercapnia. [Dorland]

Assam Fever

Visceral Leishmaniasis

Asthenia

Want of strength. Debility. Infirmity. [Dunglison1874]

Asthma

A disease, characterized by difficulty of breathing (due to a spasmodic contraction of the bronchi), recurring at intervals, accompanied with a wheezing sound, a sense of constriction in the chest, a cough, and expectoration. [Webster1913].

A chronic respiratory disease, often arising from allergies, that is characterized by sudden recurring attacks of labored breathing, chest constriction, and coughing. [Heritage].

"asthma" was first used: 14th century. [Webster]

Fact sheet from CDC

Information sheet from NYS Dept of Health

Example from a Mecklenburg, Germany Church Death Record:

Bronchial Asthma

Respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing; usually of allergic origin [syn: asthma, asthma attack]. [Wordnet]

Ataxia

Ataxie. Disorder, Irregularity. Ataxia, now, usually means the state of disorder that characterizes nervous fevers, and the nervous condition. [Dunglison1874]

Ataxic Fever

Malignant Typhus fever.

Ataxic: lacking motor coordination; marked or caused by ataxia. [Wordnet]

Atelectasis

Total or partial collapse of the lung. also, a congenital condition characterized by the incomplete expansion of the lungs at birth. [American Heritage]

Collapse of an expanded lung (especially in infants); also failure of pulmonary alveoli to expand at birth. [Wordnet]

Atheroma

(a) An encysted tumor containing curdy matter. (b) A disease characterized by thickening and fatty degeneration of the inner coat of the arteries. [Webster1913].

A deposit or degenerative accumulation of lipid-containing plaques on the innermost layer of the wall of an artery. [Heritage]

Atherosclerosis

A form of arteriosclerosis characterized by the deposition of atheromatous plaques containing cholesterol and lipids on the innermost layer of the walls of large and medium-sized arteries. [Heritage].

Atheroma: A disease characterized by thickening and fatty degeneration of the inner coat of the arteries. [Webster]

Athetosis

A variety of chorea, marked by peculiar tremors of the fingers and toes. [Webster]

Atrophy

Defect of nutrition; wasting or emaciation with loss of strength, unaccompanied by fever. [Thomas1875]

A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use; Marasmus. [Heritage]

Aurogo

Icterus

Autumnal Fever

Autumnal Fever generally assumes a bilious aspect. Those of the intermittent kind are much more obstinate than when they appear in the spring. [Dunglison1868]

A fever that prevails largely in autumn, such as typhoid, typhomalarial, and malarial fevers. [Appleton1904]

Azotemia

Uremia