oldtime medical conditions

Genealogists often encounter archaic or less common medical terms on historical death certificates. Understanding what these conditions would be called today can shed light on the lives and health of your ancestors. Here's a list of some common conditions and their modern equivalents, along with important context:

Consumption/Phthisis: Tuberculosis (TB). This was a widespread and devastating disease affecting the lungs. 

Ague/Malarial Fever/Congestive Fever: Malaria. Characterized by intermittent fever and chills, transmitted by mosquitos.

Brain Fever/Brain Congestion: Often referred to Meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord) or Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain itself), or sometimes even Typhus.

Typhus/Camp Fever/Ship Fever/Spotted Ague: Typhus. A group of infectious diseases spread by lice, fleas, or mites.

Cholera: Cholera. A severe bacterial infection of the small intestine, causing extreme diarrhea and dehydration, often spread through contaminated water.

Diphtheria: Diphtheria. A highly contagious bacterial infection of the throat and nose, often fatal, especially in children.

Whooping Cough/Chin Cough: Pertussis. A highly contagious respiratory infection.

Scarlet Fever/Scarlatina/Scarlet Rash: Scarlet Fever. A bacterial infection caused by Group A Streptococcus, often with a distinctive rash.

Smallpox: Smallpox. A highly contagious and often deadly viral disease, now globally eradicated thanks to vaccination.

Grip/Grippe: Influenza (Flu).

Bloody Flux/Flux: Dysentery. An infection of the intestines causing bloody diarrhea.

Childbed Fever/Puerperal Fever: Postpartum Sepsis/Infection. A severe infection occurring in women after childbirth, often due to unsanitary conditions during delivery.

Lockjaw: Tetanus. A bacterial infection causing severe muscle spasms.

Hydrophobia/Canine Madness: Rabies. A viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.

Apoplexy: Stroke (cerebral hemorrhage or blood clot in the brain).

Dropsy/Anasarca/Ascites/Hydrothorax/Hydrocephalus:Edema (swelling caused by fluid retention). The specific term (e.g., hydrothorax for chest, hydrocephalus for brain) indicated the location of the fluid accumulation. Often a symptom of underlying heart, kidney, or liver disease.

Bright's Disease: A general term for various forms of Kidney Disease/Nephritis, particularly chronic inflammation of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis).

Debility/Marasmus/Inanition: General terms indicating severe weakness, wasting, or malnutrition, often due to an underlying undiagnosed disease, especially in infants and the elderly.

Dyspepsia: Indigestion, heartburn, or abdominal pain. Could also be a symptom of more serious conditions like a heart attack.

Falling Sickness: Epilepsy.

Biliousness/Black Jaundice: Often indicated Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) due to liver disease or other issues.

Morbus Cordis: Heart Disease. A general term for various heart conditions.

Rising of the Lights: A descriptive term for a lung condition, often related to difficulty breathing. "Lights" was an old term for lungs.

Paralysis of the Insane/General Paresis/Paralytic Dementia: Neurosyphilis (tertiary syphilis affecting the brain and nervous system).

Green Sickness/Chlorosis: Anemia, specifically iron-deficiency anemia, which could give a greenish tinge to the skin.

Mortification/Mormal:Gangrene (death of body tissue due to lack of blood flow or infection).

Rheumatism/Inflammatory Rheumatism: A broad term that could encompass various conditions causing joint pain, including Rheumatic Fever, Arthritis, or Gout.

Catarrh: While still used today for excessive mucus, in historical contexts, it often referred to more severe inflammation of mucous membranes, particularly in the respiratory system, potentially leading to conditions like bronchitis or catarrhal pneumonia.

Cramp: While we experience cramps today, if listed as a cause of death, it usually indicated severe, fatal cramping associated with a more serious underlying disease.

Quinsy: A peritonsillar abscess, a severe complication of tonsillitis.

Nostalgia: Interestingly, this sometimes appeared as a cause of death, reflecting extreme homesickness or severe depression that could lead to physical decline.