An alphabetical listing of old-fashioned illness names
From "green sickness" to "ague" and "King's evil," discover the ailments that once plagued humanity but have since faded into obscurity.
A
- Ague: A term used to describe fever and chills, often associated with malaria or other febrile illnesses.
- Ague Cake: A term used to describe an enlarged spleen caused by chronic malaria.
- Apoplexy: A condition characterized by sudden loss of consciousness or paralysis, usually caused by a stroke.
B
- Bloody Flux: A term used to describe dysentery, a condition characterized by bloody diarrhea.
C
- Cachexia: A general term used to describe a state of severe malnutrition and wasting.
- Catarrh: A condition characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes, resulting in excessive mucus production.
- Chilblains: Painful inflammation of the skin, typically affecting the hands and feet, caused by exposure to cold and damp conditions.
- Consumption: An archaic term for tuberculosis, a chronic bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs.
- Costiveness: Referred to constipation, and it was often addressed through dietary recommendations, herbal remedies, and other treatments aimed at stimulating digestion and relieving constipation.
D
- Dropsy: Also known as edema, this condition involved the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the body, leading to swelling.
- Dropsy of the Womb: A term used to describe the accumulation of fluid in the uterus, often associated with pregnancy complications.
E
F
- Falling Sickness: An old term for epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures.
- Flux: A term used to describe any abnormal discharge or flow of bodily fluids, such as diarrhea or excessive bleeding.
G
- Gout: A form of arthritis characterized by severe pain, redness, and swelling in the joints, often affecting the big toe.
- Green Sickness: An old term for iron deficiency anemia, primarily affecting young women and characterized by paleness and weakness.
- Green Wounds: Refers to wounds that were infected or festering, often accompanied by the presence of pus or other signs of infection.
- Griping: Refers to severe abdominal pain or cramps, especially associated with gastrointestinal disorders.
H
- Hives: An itchy skin rash characterized by raised, red welts, often caused by an allergic reaction.
- Hysteria: A condition primarily affecting women, characterized by emotional instability, irrational behavior, and sometimes physical symptoms.
I
J
- Jail fever: Typhus
- Jaundice: A condition characterized by yellowing of the skin and eyes, usually due to liver dysfunction or excessive bilirubin in the blood.
K
- King's Evil: A term used to describe scrofula, a form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes in the neck, believed to be curable by the touch of a monarch.
L
- Lethargy: A state of extreme drowsiness, sluggishness, or fatigue.
- Lockjaw: An old term for tetanus, a bacterial infection causing muscle stiffness and spasms, particularly in the jaw muscles.
M
- Megrims: A term used to describe severe headaches or migraines.
- Milk Leg: A term used to describe deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in the leg, often occurring after childbirth.
- Morphew - A skin condition characterized by discoloration or blemishes. This term was used broadly to describe various skin ailments, including spots, freckles, or patches that might be caused by conditions such as vitiligo, eczema, or other dermatological issues. Morphew could present as white, brown, or red patches on the skin, and it was often considered unsightly or a sign of poor health.
N
- Nervous Fever: A term used to describe a fever associated with extreme anxiety or stress.
O
P
- Palsy: A condition characterized by involuntary trembling or shaking of the limbs, often associated with neurological disorders.
- Palsy-Walsy: A colloquial term used to describe weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the face, also known as Bell's palsy.
- Plague: A highly contagious and often deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, characterized by fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes.
- Pox: An old term for syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.
- Putrid Fever: A term used to describe severe fever and infection, often associated with a foul-smelling discharge or tissue decay.
Q
- Quinsy: Also known as peritonsillar abscess, this condition involved the formation of pus behind the tonsils, causing severe sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
R
- Rickets: A condition caused by vitamin D deficiency, leading to weak and deformed bones in children.
- Rose Cold: An old term for hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, characterized by sneezing, nasal congestion, and itchy eyes.
S
- Saint Vitus' Dance: A term used to describe Sydenham's chorea, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary jerking movements.
- Scurvy: A nutritional deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, resulting in weakness, bleeding gums, and other symptoms.
- Shaking Palsy: An old term for Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder affecting movement and coordination.
- St. Anthony's Fire: Referring to erysipelas, a skin infection characterized by redness, swelling, and pain, often accompanied by fever.
- Stone: An old term for a kidney stone or bladder stone, a hard mineral deposit that forms in the urinary system.
- Stranguary: Refers to a condition characterized by painful and difficult urination, believed to be caused by an obstruction in the urinary tract.
- Sweating Sickness: An acute and highly contagious disease characterized by fever, sweating, and rapid onset, prevalent during the 16th century.
T
- Trench Mouth: An old term for necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, a severe gum infection causing painful ulcers and bad breath.
U
V
W
- Wandering Uterus: A term used to describe the belief that the uterus could move within a woman's body, causing various physical and mental health issues.