Olde Time Medical Terminology

Some of our ancestors lived well into their 90s, while others were gone before their lives truly began. It makes you wonder how different our family story might be if they’d had access to the medical care we have today. For perspective, penicillin wasn’t even in use until World War II. Below is a list of medical terms they would have known in their own time – words that tell the story of how people suffered, healed, and hoped in centuries past.

Disclaimer - This glossary is provided for historical and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any medical concerns. The information presented here reflects historical terminology and cultural perspectives and is not a substitute for professional medical guidance.
While care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences resulting from the use of this information.

Our Disease Index helps explain many of the illnesses and causes of death found in historical records such as death certificates, obituaries, and family documents.

The index is arranged alphabetically, but some illnesses are grouped into broader categories. For example, Scarlet Fever is listed under F for Fevers, rather than under S.

If you are searching for a specific illness, you may find it helpful to use Ctrl + F or find-on-page to search the page. There are quite a few entries here—happy exploring.

Bright’s Disease - Historic meaning: Bright’s Disease was a general term for kidney diseases involving inflammation and damage that caused protein in the urine, swelling (edema), and often high blood pressure. It was named after Dr. Richard Bright, who described it in the early 1800s.
Modern equivalent: Today, Bright’s Disease is not a specific diagnosis. It would be classified under: Nephritis (kidney inflammation), Glomerulonephritis, (inflammation of kidney filters), or Chronic kidney disease or renal failure. The term Bright’s Disease is only used historically when referring to older medical records and obituaries.

Cancer - Historic understanding: Cancer has been recognized since ancient times, often described as hard lumps or ulcers that would not heal and eventually caused death.

• Carcinoma – medical term still in use for cancerous tumors

• Malignant growth / malignant tumor – describing its dangerous spread

• Scirrhus – hard, dense cancer, often breast cancer

• Noli me tangere (“Do not touch me”) – used for ulcerating facial cancers, implying they worsened when touched

• Cancerous affection – general term in 1800s death records

Modern note: Cancer refers to uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in the body.

Catarrh - Historic term: Catarrh referred to inflammation of the mucous membranes, especially in the nose and throat, leading to excessive mucus production. Common cold, Nasal congestion, Sinusitis or bronchitis (depending on location)
Modern note: Catarrh is rarely used in modern American English but still sometimes used in British English to describe persistent mucus or congestion.

Frequently Used Cause-of-Death Phrasing
Dropsy: Modern equivalent: Edema due to heart or kidney failure

Apoplexy: - Modern equivalent: Stroke. Consumption - Modern equivalent: Tuberculosis

Old Age : Historic meaning: Often recorded when cause was unknown in elderly.
Modern equivalent: Could be heart disease, stroke, cancer, or infection.

Debility Historic meaning: Weakness or failure to thrive, often in infants or elderly.

Fits Modern equivalent: Seizures or epilepsy.

Grippe Modern equivalent: Influenza.

Lockjaw Modern equivalent: Tetanus.

Worm Fever Historic meaning: Illness attributed to parasitic worms, often in children.

Inanition Historic meaning: Death from lack of nourishment, starvation, or severe weakness.

​Visitation by God: Context: Reflected the belief that God determines the time of death, and it was not for humans to question or define medically. A way to record natural death without a specific cause, often in the elderly, infants, or anyone who died suddenly without signs of violence or accident. Commonly used in burial registers and parish registers before formal medical death certification.
Modern equivalent: Would be recorded today as natural causes, old age, or sudden unexplained death pending further investigation. Some people use terms similar to this today in obituaries, prayer cards and eulogies.

“The child is tired” - ​Meaning: Euphemism for death of a child in some regions of continental Africa.

​​Childbirth-related historic terms

• Childbed fever / Puerperal fever – infection after childbirth, often deadly before antiseptics

• Laid in / Lying-in – period of postpartum rest and recovery

• Confined / Confinement – term for childbirth and postpartum period

• Delivered of a child – phrasing for giving birth

• Brought to bed – giving birth, referring to being in bed for labor

• Stillbirth / Born silent / Born sleeping – terms for babies born dead

• Quickening – first felt fetal movements, important milestone

• Miscarriage / Abortion – in older usage, “abortion” meant any pregnancy loss, natural or induced

​Cholera -
Historic and modern diagnosis: Cholera is a severe diarrheal illness caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria, spread through contaminated water and food.

• Asiatic cholera – historic name referencing origins of major pandemics

• Blue death – due to bluish skin from dehydration and circulatory collapse

• Cholera morbus – term used for severe gastroenteritis in general, especially in summer; not always true cholera

Modern note: Still present in parts of the world but preventable and treatable with rehydration and antibiotics.

Creeping Paralysis - Historic term used to describe a gradual, progressive paralysis moving slowly up the body over months or years. It was not a specific diagnosis but a descriptive phrase often applied to several neurological conditions before modern medicine could distinguish them.
Common causes historically associated with Creeping Paralysis include:

• General paresis of the insane (GPI): a severe late-stage symptom of untreated syphilis affecting the brain and nervous system, causing cognitive decline and paralysis.

• Tabes dorsalis: another form of neurosyphilis leading to loss of coordination, pain, and slow paralysis.

• Multiple sclerosis (MS): a chronic disease causing progressive weakness and paralysis due to nerve damage.

• Poliomyelitis (polio): a viral infection that could cause paralysis, often sudden but sometimes with slow progression.

Modern equivalents: Today, these conditions are diagnosed and named separately with specific treatments, unlike the broad historic use of “creeping paralysis.”

Crohn’s Disease Meaning: Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation anywhere in the digestive tract, most commonly the small intestine and colon. It leads to symptoms like: Abdominal pain and cramping, Persistent diarrhea, Weight loss, Fatigue, etc.
Can occur at any age, but often diagnosed in teens and young adults. Affects both men and women. Cause is unknown, but involves immune system, genetics, and environmental factors. While older adults can have Crohn’s, it is not a disease of elderly women, nor does the name relate to “crone” (meaning old woman). The similarity in spelling is purely coincidental.
It was named after Dr. Burrill Crohn, who first described the disease in 1932 along with colleagues.
Note on “crone” confusion: “Crone” is an old term meaning an elderly woman, sometimes with negative or witch-like connotations. Crohn’s disease is medically unrelated and named solely after its discoverer

• ​​Delirium Tremens

​​​Delirium Tremens, also known as the DT's, is a severe form of alcohol withdrawal. At the time, little was understood about this condition. He likely suffered intense confusion, shaking, and frightening hallucinations as his body struggled without the alcohol it had depended on for so long. Without effective treatments available back then, Delirium Tremens often proved fatal. Today, we recognize it as a medical emergency requiring immediate care, but in his day, it was a struggle faced quietly, without the understanding or support we might offer now.

• Fevers

Bilious Fever Historic meaning: Fever with nausea and vomiting, thought to involve excess bile.
Modern equivalent: Could have been malaria, typhoid, or hepatitis.

Breakbone Fever : Historic meaning: Severe fever with joint pain.
Modern equivalent: Dengue fever.

Intermittent Fever: Historic meaning: Fever that comes and goes in cycles.
Modern equivalent: Malaria or relapsing fever.

Remittent Fever: Historic meaning: Fever that rises and falls but doesn’t fully disappear.
Modern equivalent: Typhoid or other bacterial infections.

Scarlet Fever - In the 1700s–1800s, scarlet fever was a common and often deadly childhood disease, especially before antibiotics. Outbreaks caused significant mortality in families.
Alternate historic names:
Scarlatina /. Scarletina– used interchangeably, sometimes thought to be a milder form but actually the same illness
Scarlet rash – colloquial description
Modern note: Today, scarlet fever is easily treated with antibiotics, but in the past, it could lead to severe complications like rheumatic fever, kidney damage, or death.

Typhoid Fever - Historic and modern diagnosis: Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi, spread through contaminated food and water. It was common in the 1800s and early 1900s before sanitation improvements. Typoid is now treatable with antibiotics, but still remains a risk in areas with poor sanitation.
other names for Typhoid Fever :
Enteric fever – medical term emphasizing intestinal involvement
Continued fever – an old term referring to fevers that didn’t come and go like intermittent fevers (e.g. malaria)
Slow fever – describing its gradual onset

Typhus Fever Historic meaning: Bacterial infection spread by lice, causing high fever and rash. Common in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions (prisons, ships, war camps)
Alternate names: Jail fever, camp fever, ship fever.
Treatment today: Antibiotics like doxycycline

Yellow Fever Historic meaning: Viral infection spread by mosquitoes, causing fever, jaundice, and bleeding.
Historic impact: Deadly epidemics in American port cities in 1700s–1800s.

• ​Old-Time & Historic Terms for Flatulence
  

Wind / Passing wind - Meaning: Polite general term still used today. Example: “He has a bit of wind this evening.”
Breaking wind - Meaning: Another polite phrasing, used in Victorian and early 20th-century English.
Breaking the breeze - Meaning: Colloquial variation, used humorously.
Fart - Meaning: Old English origin (feortan), meaning to break wind. Once considered extremely vulgar, now commonplace.
Venting - Meaning: Very old usage meaning to release gas or air.
Emitting vapors - Meaning: Euphemism in upper-class or formal speech, 18th–19th century.
Flatus - Meaning: Medical term for gas in the intestines released through the anus.
Crepitus / Crepitation - Meaning: Medical/Latin-based term meaning a crackling or popping sound, used for joints but historically applied to flatulence in anatomy texts.
Thunder down under - Meaning: Modern humorous slang (mostly Australian), but similar phrasing existed historically as “thunder from below.”
Regional & Humorous Phrases:
Cut the cheese – modern American humor
Cut one / cut a ripper – mild slang
Air biscuit – playful Southern US slang
Barking spider – jokingly blaming an imaginary creature
Step on a duck – humorous American phrase

Mortification (Historic Medical Term) Refers to death (necrosis) of body tissue, usually due to infection, injury, or loss of blood supply. The affected tissue would turn black, decay, and could lead to severe infection or death if untreated.
Types and causes:

• Gangrene: Mortification was often used interchangeably with gangrene, meaning tissue death from infection or lack of circulation.

• Dry mortification: Tissue death due to poor circulation without infection (e.g. diabetes-related).

• Wet mortification: Tissue death with infection, foul smell, and pus; very dangerous.

Usage in records: You might see “death by mortification of the leg” (from an untreated infected wound) or “mortification set in” after an injury or surgery, meaning the tissue died and began to rot, leading to sepsis and death.

​Hemochromatosis - Modern meaning: A genetic condition causing the body to absorb too much iron, leading to iron overload. Excess iron is stored in organs like the liver, heart, and pancreas, leading to damage, diabetes, heart disease, liver failure, and skin changes.
​First described by Dr. Armand Trousseau in 1865 as “bronze diabetes,” recognizing the skin pigmentation and diabetes combination. It was not understood as a distinct disease until the late 19th century.
Early names included:

• Bronze diabetes: Because of darkening skin (bronze-like) and diabetes symptoms.

• Pigmentary cirrhosis / Pigment cirrhosis: Referring to liver damage with iron deposits causing pigmentation.

• Iron overload disease: A straightforward descriptive phrase used before genetic understanding.

• Lay terminology:

  • People with hemochromatosis symptoms may have been described as having “liver disease,” “dropsy” (due to heart failure), or “diabetes” without knowing the underlying iron issue.

  • Skin changes might have been described simply as “dark complexion,” “bronzed skin,” or “peculiar skin color.”

Genetic testing has made diagnosis more precise today. Hemochromatosis is often underdiagnosed because symptoms mimic other conditions and develop slowly.

Infections
Putrid Fever - Historic meaning: Generic term for severe infections with foul-smelling discharges, often typhus or sepsis.
​
Flux - Historic meaning: General term for diarrhea. Specific types: Bloody Flux or Summer Flux. Self Explanatory.

King’s Evil - Historic meaning: Scrofula (tuberculosis infection of lymph nodes), thought curable by royal touch.

Quinsy - Historic meaning: Severe throat infection with abscess near tonsils.
Modern equivalent: Peritonsillar abscess.



Influenza - a systemic viral illness causing fever and severe aches.

• Influenza – medical term still in use

• La grippe – from French, meaning “to seize,” describing how quickly it strikes

• The Grippe

Iron-deficiency anemia was known as Green Sickness (Chlorosis). Green sickness, also called chlorosis, was a condition described mainly in young women. Symptoms included: Pale or greenish complexion, Weakness and fatigue, Shortness of breath, Loss of appetite or unusual cravings (sometimes for non-food items like clay or chalk, known as pica), Irregular or absent menstruation
Cause: In historical medicine, it was believed to be due to “lack of love” or sexual activity (reflecting cultural beliefs of the time). However, modern medicine recognizes it as iron-deficiency anemia, common in teenage girls due to rapid growth and menstrual blood loss without sufficient dietary iron.
Alternate names:

• Chlorosis (from Greek chloros, meaning pale green)

• Virgin’s disease / Maiden’s disease (reflecting sexist medical beliefs)

• Morbus virgineus (Latin term used in medical texts)

Modern note: Green sickness is no longer used as a medical term. Today, it is recognized and treated as iron-deficiency anemia with dietary changes or supplements.

​Edema/swelling caused by fluid accumulation in the body’s tissues -

• Dropsy – the main historic term for generalized swelling from fluid accumulation

• Hydropsy – older spelling variant, from Greek hydro (water)

• Hydrops – general term for fluid buildup in any body cavity

• Anasarca – severe generalized edema (medical term still in use)

• Cardiac dropsy – dropsy caused by heart failure

• Hydrops pectoris – fluid in the chest area

• Ascites – abdominal dropsy (fluid buildup in the abdomen)

• Hydrothorax – fluid in the pleural cavity around the lungs

• Dropsy of the brain – historic term for hydrocephalus

• Dropsy of the chest – pleural effusion or heart failure fluid retention

• Dropsy of the heart – heart failure with edema

• Gravel and dropsy – when kidney stones (gravel) and edema coexisted

• Water sickness – colloquial term for severe edema

​​Epilepsy - Historic and modern diagnosis: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder causing recurrent seizures due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

• The falling sickness / falling fits – describing sudden collapse during seizures

• Fits – general term for seizures

• Convulsions – older medical term for seizure episodes

• The sacred disease – ancient term from Hippocrates’ era, when it was thought to have divine or supernatural causes

• Morbus sacer – Latin for “sacred disease”

• Possession / being possessed – tragic misunderstanding in some cultures, attributing seizures to demonic possession

• Apoplectic fits – sometimes confused with epilepsy, but actually referred to strokes

Modern note: Today, epilepsy is treatable with medications and often manageable for a normal life, though stigma historically was severe

Malaria-

• Ague – general term for fever with chills and sweating, often malaria

• Intermittent fever – fever that comes and goes in cycles, typical of malaria

• Remittent fever – fever that rises and falls but does not fully go away

• Biliary fever – older term sometimes used for malaria with jaundice

• Marsh fever – linked to swampy, marshy areas where mosquitoes bred

• Miasma fever – based on the belief it was caused by “bad air” (miasma) from swamps

• Periodic fever – describing the repeating fever cycles

• Paludal fever – from Latin palus (marsh), another swamp fever name

• Chills and fever – colloquial description of malaria symptoms

• Tertian fever – fever every third day (i.e., every 48 hours), a malaria pattern

• Quartan fever – fever every fourth day (i.e., every 72 hours), another malaria type

• Quotidian fever – fever occurring daily, can be malaria or other infections

​Mental Health Terms

• Lunacy / Lunatic

Historic meaning: Belief that mental illness was affected by the moon (luna). Used broadly for anyone with severe mental disorders.
Modern note: Now outdated and offensive; replaced by specific diagnoses (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder).

• Melancholia

Historic meaning: Severe, prolonged sadness or depression. Considered a distinct illness rather than a mood disorder.
Modern equivalent: Major depressive disorder or clinical depression.

• Mania

Historic meaning: A state of extreme excitement, agitation, or euphoria, often with reckless behavior.
Modern equivalent: Manic episodes in bipolar disorder.

• Hysteria

Historic meaning: A diagnosis given mostly to women, encompassing anxiety, emotional excess, or physical symptoms without clear cause.
Modern equivalent: Recognized now as conversion disorder, somatic symptom disorder, or various anxiety disorders; term is no longer used medically.

• Idiocy / Idiot

Historic meaning: Used to describe severe intellectual disability.
Modern note: Now recognized as highly offensive and replaced with specific medical terms like profound intellectual disability.

• Imbecile

Historic meaning: Milder intellectual disability than “idiot” but still severe.
Modern note: Also replaced by intellectual disability categories.

• Feeble-minded

Historic meaning: General term for mild to moderate intellectual disability or cognitive impairment.
Modern note: Outdated and offensive; replaced with respectful medical terminology.

• Nervous exhaustion / Neurasthenia

Historic meaning: Diagnosis for fatigue, anxiety, headaches, depression, and general weakness, often in the late 1800s.
Modern equivalent: Could encompass depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, or generalized anxiety disorder.

• Madness / Insanity

Historic meaning: Catch-all terms for any mental illness, especially psychosis or severe disorders.
Modern note: Now replaced with specific diagnostic terms and no longer used in medical contexts except legally (“insanity defense”).

• Dementia / Senility

Historic meaning: Decline in mental abilities due to age or disease.
Modern equivalent: Dementia remains the medical term for cognitive decline disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

“My soul hurts” (У меня душа болит / U menya dusha bolit) - Meaning: Deep sadness, grief, or worry, not physical illness. Russian origin.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / PTSF is the formal diagnosis for psychological trauma from combat or any severe emotional stress.

• War neurosis – general term for combat-related psychological injury

• ​Shell Shock Historic meaning: Originally described the psychological trauma experienced by soldiers exposed to intense bombardment during World War I.

• Combat fatigue – used more in World War II

• Battle fatigue – similar to combat fatigue, used mid-20th century

• Neurasthenia – used before “shell shock” became common; broad term for nervous exhaustion

• Soldier’s heart / Da Costa’s syndrome – Civil War-era term, often describing palpitations and anxiety in soldiers, possibly including PTSD symptoms

• Psychoneurosis – medical term used in later decades for functional mental disorders

• Post-Vietnam syndrome – term used after the Vietnam War, before PTSD was formalized

Cultural terms for illness, remedies, and superstitions. (not necessarily medical terms, but human condition.)

• Africa

“The ancestors are angry” - Meaning: Illness or misfortune is punishment or warning from ancestral spirits. (continental Africa)

• African American

“Sugar” - Meaning: Diabetes. Usage: “She’s got the sugar.”

“High blood” Meaning: High blood pressure or hypertension. Usage: “He can’t eat that – he’s got high blood.”

“Bad blood” Meaning: Historically used for syphilis in Tuskegee experiments; also a general phrase for inherited illness or enmity.

• ​Finland

Sauna culture Meaning: Integral to health; used to treat colds, detoxify, ease childbirth, and even as a place for dying in old times.
​Saying: “If tar, liquor, or sauna won’t cure you, the disease is fatal.” (“Jos ei sauna, terva ja viina auta, niin tauti on kuolemaksi.”)

Tar (terva) Use: Applied to wounds, mixed in water for cough, or used as a sauna scent for respiratory health.

Herbal teas Remedies -

• Meadowsweet for headaches​

• Birch leaf infusions for detox and kidney health

• Juniper berry teas for urinary infections

• German

“Kummerspeck” ​Meaning: “Grief bacon,” or weight gained from emotional eating. (Yes the Germans have a word for that!)

Horseshoe above door Belief - Protects the home and brings luck.

Drink warm beer for a cold Remedy: Believed to ease symptoms.

• ​Greek Remedies & Folk Beliefs reflecting ancient practices still used in rural Greece and within Greek-American communities:

​Olive oil Uses: Taken by spoonful to soothe sore throats or constipation. Mixed with lemon juice for coughs. Rubbed on skin for wounds, burns, and dry skin.

Chamomile tea Uses:
calms upset stomach and nerves.
Used as an eye wash for infections or irritation.
Given to babies for colic.

Mountain tea Meaning: Greek mountain herbal tea made from Sideritis plants. Uses: Treats colds, respiratory infections, digestive issues, and strengthens immunity

Evil eye - Belief: Someone’s envy or admiration can cause headaches, fatigue, or illness
Remedy: Protective blue eye charms (mati), “Xematiasma” ritual prayers recited to remove the curse, often causing yawning or tears as it lifts

Oregano tea
Uses: Drunk for coughs, sore throat, digestive upset. Oil of oregano used as a disinfectant or rubbed on chest for colds.

Garlic Beliefs & uses:
Wards off evil (hung in homes or worn)
Eaten raw or infused in oil for colds and infections

Honey and lemon
Uses: Soothe sore throats and coughs, or taken daily for immunity.

Warm raki with honey
Uses: Traditional Cretan remedy for colds, sore throats, and to aid sleep.

Vicks VapoRub
Modern cultural note: Not traditionally Greek, but has become a humorous staple in Greek-American households for everything from colds to muscle pain, similar to other immigrant cultures.

Ancient Greek Medicine Influence
Many modern herbal and holistic remedies trace back to Hippocrates, known as the “Father of Medicine,” who promoted:

• Diet and herbs as primary treatments

• Honey for wounds and infections

• Vinegar washes to clean wounds

• Willow bark tea for pain (source of aspirin)

​

• Italian / Italian-American

“Agita” Meaning: Indigestion or emotional upset.
​
“Malocchio” (Evil eye) Meaning: Illness or misfortune caused by envy or a curse. Cure: Wearing a cornicello (horn charm) or ritual prayers.

Italian Remedy: Olive oil for everything. Used for earaches, dry skin, constipation, and to soothe babies’ gums.

• Irish

“The troubles” (not political) Meaning: Digestive problems or emotional issues. Usage: “She’s down with the troubles again.”

“Away with the fairies” Meaning: Confused, mentally ill, or in dementia. Also used lightly for daydreaming.

“The dropsy” Meaning: Edema, swelling, heart failure.

Remedy - Iron in the cradle Belief: Placing iron scissors or tongs in a baby’s crib protects from fairies stealing them as changelings.

Cure for warts. Remedy: Rub a wart with a cut potato and bury the potato to “transfer” the wart into the earth.

• Jewish / Yiddish

“Oy gevalt” Meaning: Exclamation of pain, fear, or overwhelming stress.

“Farblondjet”: Meaning: Mentally lost, confused, or scatterbrained.

Spitting three times (ptoo ptoo ptoo) Belief - Protects against evil eye or bad luck after praising someone.

Kina hora Meaning: “No evil eye” – said after giving a compliment to avoid attracting bad luck.

• Middle Eastern

Black seed (Nigella sativa) Belief: “Cures everything but death.” Used for colds, digestive issues, and immunity.

• Norway

Cod liver oil (tran) - Use: Daily spoonful for children to prevent rickets and maintain health in long winters. Modern note: Cod liver oil is rich in Vitamin D (and Vitamin A, so it really does cure rickets.

Tyttebær (lingonberry) and blåbær (bilberry) -​Use: Folk remedies for diarrhea, urinary health, and eye health (bilberry believed to improve night vision).

Sauna (badstue) & ice plunge - Belief: Cleanses body of toxins, improves circulation, and boosts immunity.

• Puerto Rican / Spanish Caribbean

“Empacho”: Meaning: Digestive blockage or upset stomach, often treated with herbal teas or massages.

“Mal de ojo”: Meaning: Evil eye causing illness, especially in children. Protection: Red bracelets, amulets, prayers.

“Susto” Meaning: Illness caused by fright or sudden shock; symptoms include weakness, loss of appetite, restlessness.

Azabache bracelet Belief: Babies wear black stone bracelets to protect from evil eye.

Egg cleansing Remedy (limpia con huevo) - Rolling an egg over the body absorbs bad energy; egg then broken into water to read results

• Russian

Vodka as medicine - Belief: Vodka with pepper or honey used for colds, disinfecting wounds, and toothache relief.

“I’m dying, but it’s okay” (Я умираю, но это нормально / Ya umiray, no eto normal’no) Meaning: Sarcastic phrase to downplay illness or pain, used jokingly in modern Russian culture.

• Common Scandinavian folk health beliefs and phrases

Trolls and spirits: Illness or bad luck in livestock sometimes attributed to forest spirits or trolls. Protective charms or prayers used.

Midsummer herbs: Plants gathered at midsummer believed to have heightened healing powers.

Breast milk for eye infections: Used across Nordic countries as an antibacterial remedy for infants and adults.

Scandinavian - Historic health expressions“Frisk som en nötkärna” (Swedish) Meaning: “Healthy as a nut kernel” – very healthy.

“Syk som en lus” (Norwegian) Meaning: “Sick as a louse” – very ill.

“Vahva kuin karhu” (Finnish) Meaning: “Strong as a bear.”

• Scottish, Great Briton

“Peelie-wally”: Meaning: Looking pale, sickly, weak. Usage: “You’re looking peelie-wally today.”

“Houghmagandie”: Meaning: Not illness, but relevant as an old Scots word for sexual activity, sometimes euphemistically linked to moral illness in older church records.

Rowan tree - Belief: Planting a rowan tree near the house protects from witches and evil spirits.

Heather under the pillow - Belief: Sleeping on heather brings good dreams and luck in love.

• Sweden

Snaps & aquavit - Use: Herbal-flavored spirits taken as digestifs, believed to aid digestion and prevent colds.

Lingonberries - Use: Eaten for urinary health and digestion; lingonberry jam was considered good for stomach ailments.

Varm mjölk med honung (warm milk with honey) Remedy - Soothes sore throats and helps sleep.

Cold baths / vinterbad - Belief: Brief dips in icy lakes strengthen the immune system and circulation.


Historic health expressions“Frisk som en nötkärna” (Swedish)

• Meaning: “Healthy as a nut kernel” – very healthy.

“Syk som en lus” (Norwegian)

• Meaning: “Sick as a louse” – very ill.

“Vahva kuin karhu” (Finnish)

• Meaning: “Strong as a bear.”

• Southern US / Appalachian

“Sinking spell” Meaning: Faintness or weakness.

“The miseries” Meaning: General aches, pains, or malaise. Usage: “I’ve got the miseries today.”

“Knot in my stomach” Meaning: Anxiety or dread.

“Catarrh” Meaning: Mucus-heavy cold.

Spider webs for cuts Remedy: Placing spider webs on a wound to stop bleeding and help healing.

“Don’t let a pregnant woman see an ugly thing” Belief: It would mark the baby.

Turpentine and sugar Remedy: Taken for coughs and colds.
⚠️ Important: Do NOT drink turpentine. It is toxic and dangerous if ingested. This was a folk remedy of the past and is not safe for any medical use today.

Haint blue paint Belief: Painting porch ceilings light blue keeps away ghosts (haints).

• East Asian / Chinese

“Qi stagnation” Meaning: Blocked life energy causing illness. Treatment: Acupuncture, herbs, tai chi.

“Wind illness” Meaning: Sudden illness caused by exposure to cold wind; treated by covering up, warming foods, or cupping therapy.

Avoid cold drinks when sick Belief: Cold disrupts body balance; warm teas and soups restore health.

Cupping therapy Remedy: Drawing out “bad wind” or stagnation to treat pain and illness.

​Hearing Loss / Deafness
Deaf and dumb - Old phrase referring to a person who was deaf and non-speaking (mute).
Modern note: Considered offensive today; replaced with “Deaf,” “hard of hearing,” or “nonverbal” if applicable.

Stone deaf Meaning: Completely deaf. Usage: “He was stone deaf by the time he was seventy.”

Hearing infirmity: Meaning: Polite phrasing in old obituaries or census records.

Hard of hearing Meaning: Mild to moderate hearing loss. Term still used today.

Muttism / mutism Meaning: Inability to speak, which was often assumed in deaf individuals historically

​Pellagra Meaning: Pellagra is a disease caused by severe niacin (Vitamin B3) deficiency or the body’s inability to absorb it.

Who was affected historically? Most common in the early 1900s American South, where diets relied heavily on cornmeal lacking processed niacin and little other protein. Also common in poor rural European communities with limited varied food sources.
Historic names & phrases:

• “Disease of the 4 Ds” – mnemonic used by doctors to remember symptoms. (Dermatitis, Diarrhea, Dementia, Death)

• Asturian leprosy: In Spain, due to skin lesions resembling mild leprosy.

• The Italian word “pellagra” – meaning “rough skin” (from pelle = skin + agra = rough).

Treatment & prevention: Eating foods rich in niacin or tryptophan, which converts to niacin (e.g. meat, eggs, milk). Fortification of cornmeal and flour in the US nearly eliminated pellagra by mid-20th century.
Modern note: Still occurs in severe alcoholism, extreme poverty, or untreated digestive disorders preventing nutrient absorption.

​Pneumonia

• Lung fever – common term in the 1700s–1800s for pneumonia

• Inflammation of the lungs – widely used in death records and obituaries

• Congestion of the lungs – could mean pneumonia or fluid buildup from heart failure, but often referred to pneumonia

• Pneumonitis – medical term for lung inflammation, sometimes used interchangeably with pneumonia

• Pleurisy with effusion – pleurisy is inflammation of the lining of the lungs; when fluid accumulated, it was sometimes pneumonia-related

• Winter fever – colloquial term in some regions for pneumonia outbreaks in cold months

• Peripneumonia – an old medical term meaning inflammation around the lungs, often used for pneumonia

• Typhoid pneumonia – a severe pneumonia with symptoms resembling typhoid fever, not caused by typhoid bacteria

Polio (Poliomyelitis) - Polio is a viral disease caused by the poliovirus that can infect the brain and spinal cord, leading to paralysis, muscle weakness, and sometimes death. Many infections caused only mild flu-like symptoms, but in severe cases, it paralyzed the legs or breathing muscles.Historic names and terms:

• Infantile paralysis

• Heine-Medin disease (early medical term)

• Paralytic polio

Social context: Before vaccines, polio outbreaks caused widespread fear, especially among parents. Children were suddenly stricken, sometimes overnight, leaving them unable to walk or breathe without an iron lung. Because of the stigma, disability, and fear of contagion, families often kept a child’s death or disability secret, out of grief, shame, or fear of being ostracized..
Vaccine impact: The polio vaccine, introduced in the 1950s, dramatically reduced cases worldwide. Today, polio is close to eradication, with only a few regions still affected.

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Historic & Traditional Phrases for Pregnancy
With child - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Old English, biblical phrasing; widely used through the 1800s.

In the family way - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: 17th century British euphemism to politely indicate pregnancy without mentioning the body.

Great with child - Meaning: Heavily pregnant. Origin: Used in the King James Bible (e.g. “Mary was great with child”).

Expecting - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Emerged in the 19th century as a polite indirect phrase.

Carrying - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Refers to carrying a child within.

Quick with child - Meaning: Pregnant and feeling fetal movements (“quickening”). Origin: “Quick” here means “alive”; used in old English law to mark the stage when abortion was considered homicide.
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“She is heavy” - Meaning: Pregnant. Usage: Common in Nigerian English.

“She has taken in” - Meaning: Pregnant. ​Usage: Widespread in West African English usage.​

​“She’s in position” - Meaning: Pregnant. Usage: Traditional and still common phrasing; avoids directly mentioning pregnancy. Russian origin.

“Waiting for a stork” - Meaning: Pregnant or expecting a baby. Origin: Similar to Western stork folklore, widespread across Russian / Slavic cultures.

Humorous & Regional Phrases:
A bun in the oven - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Mid-20th century American slang comparing pregnancy to baking bread, possibly popularized by working-class diners and later radio humor shows.

Knocked up - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: 19th century American English meaning to wake someone up (knock at door) evolved into meaning “impregnated” (colloquial). Now considered impolite.

Eating for two - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Simply refers to nourishing oneself and the baby; popular in the 20th century.

In a delicate condition - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Victorian euphemism to avoid direct mention of sex or reproduction.

Up the duff (British/Australian slang) - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Mid-20th century, origin uncertain; possibly from “duff” meaning pudding, again a food metaphor.

On the nest - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Based on birds sitting on eggs; informal slang.

Expecting a blessed event - Meaning: Pregnant. Origin: Polite American phrase, mid-20th century, emphasizing the positive.

Plague - (Bubonic Plague / Black Death) A disease ​attributed to Rats & Mice. Cause: Bacteria Yersinia pestis. Transmission: Fleas carried by rats (especially black rats, Rattus rattus). Fleas bite infected rats, then humans.
Historic impact: Black Death (1347–1351): Killed up to half of Europe’s population.

​​Rickets - Historic and modern diagnosis: Rickets is a disease of children caused by vitamin D deficiency, leading to soft, weak, and deformed bones. Bowed legs, symptoms; Delayed growth, Bone pain and weakness.

• The rickets – commonly used phrasing

• Rachitis – medical term from Greek, meaning inflammation of the spine, later used for rickets generally

Modern note: Prevented by adequate sunlight exposure and vitamin D in the diet.

Scurvey - was a significant historic disease affecting many communities, especially sailors, immigrants, and the poor caused by severe Vitamin C deficiency.​​ Treatment: Eating citrus fruits (lemons, oranges), fresh vegetables, or potatoes.
Historic remedy: British Navy issued daily lemon or lime juice rations, earning sailors the nickname “limeys.”

• Barlow’s disease: Rarely used historic medical term for scurvy in infants.

• The scurvy / scorbutus / scorbutic disease: Latin-derived terms in old medical texts.

• Land scurvy: Used when it affected people on land (vs. sailors at sea).

​Smallpox - a highly contagious viral disease caused by the variola virus. It causes fever, fatigue, and a characteristic raised, pus-filled rash that spreads over the body and often leaves permanent scars. Severe forms could lead to death. Alternate historic names:

• Variola / Variola major / Variola minor – Latin medical terms; variola major was severe, variola minor milder

• The pox / The great pox – sometimes used, but “great pox” was also used for syphilis, so context matters

• Speckled monster – 18th–19th century poetic term referring to the disfiguring rash

• Red plague – emphasizing its deadly nature and rash

• Black pox – referring to hemorrhagic smallpox (most severe form, with dark skin lesions)

• Natural smallpox – term used after vaccination began to distinguish wild infection from inoculated mild forms

• True pox – distinguishing it from chickenpox or syphilis (“false pox”)

• The small pocks – older spelling used in early English texts

Modern note: ​Thanks to a global vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. It is the only human disease to have been completely eradicated worldwide. The last natural case occurred in Somalia in 1977.

​Stroke (apoplexy):

• Apoplexy – main historic term for sudden loss of consciousness or paralysis due to brain bleeding or clot

• Cerebral apoplexy – specifying the brain as the site

• Fit of apoplexy – describing the suddenness of the attack

• Paralytic stroke – later term emphasizing paralysis

• Shock – sometimes used for stroke, though also used for heart events or trauma

• Brain attack – very modern term (late 20th century) to encourage urgency like “heart attack”

• Sudden palsy – older phrase meaning sudden paralysis

• The palsy – general term for paralysis, but when sudden could imply stroke

• Brain fever – not a stroke, but sometimes confused with it; actually meant meningitis or encephalitis

• Thrombosis – a clot; in later 1800s medical records, “cerebral thrombosis” was used for clot-caused strokes

• Hemorrhagic apoplexy – stroke caused by brain bleeding

Syphilis - Syphilis had many names across the centuries, often reflecting blame, euphemism, or attempts to soften the horror of it. Here are the most common historical terms:

• The French Disease (Morbus Gallicus) – named by Italians, Germans, and English blaming France

• The Spanish Disease – what the French called it

• The Neapolitan Disease – used by the French when blaming Naples

• The Great Pox – to distinguish it from smallpox

• Lues venerea – Latin for “venereal plague”

• Venereal disease – general term that often referred specifically to syphilis before gonorrhea was clearly separated

• Bad blood – euphemism, also used for other STDs

• Cupid’s disease – rarely used poetic term

• Pox – general, sometimes referring to smallpox or syphilis depending on context

• Morbus veneris – Latin for “disease of love”

• The bubas / bouba / bubo – from the French “boube,” meaning boil or swelling

• The English disease – what the French called it in retaliation

• The Polish disease, The Russian disease, The Turkish disease – blame shifted to whatever rival nation was convenient

• Fiancée’s disease – Victorian euphemism implying transmission by a “fallen woman”

​Tetanus - A serious bacterial infection that causes painful muscle stiffness and spasms, often starting in the jaw (“lockjaw”), caused by Clostridium tetani bacteria entering a wound. It can be life-threatening without treatment

• Lockjaw

• ​Trismus – medical term for jaw muscle rigidity, often first symptom of tetanus

• Spasm sickness – descriptive term referring to muscle spasms

• Creeping tetanus – describing tetanus spreading from a wound upward

• Stiff sickness – colloquial term

Modern Note: The tetanus vaccine is highly effective, providing almost 100% protection after the full initial series and recommended booster shots every 10 years. Because tetanus bacteria are common in soil and dust, vaccination is the best way to prevent this potentially deadly disease. Personal note: While severe reactions to tetanus vaccines are considered extremely rare, I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) shortly after receiving a tetanus vaccine. Within minutes I experienced symptoms, but it took months to reach a diagnosis. In my opinion, such reactions may be under-reported, especially in children who cannot describe their symptoms clearly. This is not meant to deter vaccination, but to provide a fuller picture of potential risks.

​Tetanus - A serious bacterial infection that causes painful muscle stiffness and spasms, often starting in the jaw (“lockjaw”), caused by Clostridium tetani bacteria entering a wound. It can be life-threatening without treatment

• Lockjaw

• ​Trismus – medical term for jaw muscle rigidity, often first symptom of tetanus

• Spasm sickness – descriptive term referring to muscle spasms

• Creeping tetanus – describing tetanus spreading from a wound upward

• Stiff sickness – colloquial term

Modern Note: The tetanus vaccine is highly effective, providing almost 100% protection after the full initial series and recommended booster shots every 10 years. Because tetanus bacteria are common in soil and dust, vaccination is the best way to prevent this potentially deadly disease. Personal note: While severe reactions to tetanus vaccines are considered extremely rare, I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) shortly after receiving a tetanus vaccine. Within minutes I experienced symptoms, but it took months to reach a diagnosis. In my opinion, such reactions may be under-reported, especially in children who cannot describe their symptoms clearly. This is not meant to deter vaccination, but to provide a fuller picture of potential risks.

Tuberculosis / TB -

• Consumption – by far the most common name in the 1700s–1800s, describing the “consuming” wasting away of the body

• Phthisis (pronounced “tye-sis” or “thi-sis”) – Greek origin meaning “to waste away,” used medically from ancient times

• White Plague – due to the extreme paleness of sufferers

• The Decline – Victorian-era euphemism for gradual wasting death

• Scrofula – technically TB of the lymph nodes, often called “King’s Evil” because it was believed royal touch could cure it

• King’s Evil – specifically scrofula/TB of the neck glands

• Galloping consumption – rapidly progressing TB

• Pulmonary tuberculosis – formal medical term as bacteriology advanced

• Lung disease – vague term used when the exact cause was unknown

• Wasting disease – general term for any disease causing progressive emaciation, often used for TB

• Dry consumption – TB without much coughing up of blood or sputum

• Wet consumption – TB with heavy expectoration

​Vision Issues / Blindness
Amaurosis Meaning: Partial or total blindness without visible eye damage; could be due to nerve issues.
Modern equivalent: Optic neuropathy or neurological blindness.

Gutta serena: Meaning: “Clear drop” (Latin); blindness without cloudiness of the eye (i.e. nerve damage, not cataract).
Usage: Medieval and early modern medical texts.

Cataract: Meaning: Clouding of the lens causing vision loss; term still used today. Moon blindness
Meaning: Term mainly used for night blindness in humans and horses; linked to Vitamin A deficiency.

Snow blindness: Meaning: Temporary blindness from sun glare on snow (UV damage to cornea).

Weak eyes / dim sight: Meaning: General old phrasing for poor vision or age-related sight decline (presbyopia).

Stone blindness: Meaning: Total blindness, as if eyes were turned to stone (poetic/historic phrasing)

​​Whooping Cough - Historic and modern diagnosis: Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection caused by Bordetella pertussis. It is known for severe coughing fits followed by a sharp, “whooping” intake of breath. Modern note: Vaccination has greatly reduced its prevalence, but outbreaks still occur.

• Pertussis – medical term still in use

• The 100-day cough – describing how long the illness can linger

• Chin cough – older British term

• Convulsive cough – descriptive of its severity

​"Womens Problems" or disease names and diagnoses deeply rooted in old-fashioned, sexist attitudes towards women
​Hysteria

• Meaning: A broad diagnosis given to women exhibiting anxiety, emotional outbursts, sexual desire, fainting, or physical symptoms without clear cause.

• Origin: From Greek hystera meaning “womb,” based on the belief that a wandering uterus caused these symptoms.

• Modern understanding: Many cases were likely depression, anxiety, trauma responses, or neurological disorders. The term is no longer used medically.

Female weakness / Female complaints

• Meaning: Vague term encompassing menstrual cramps, menopause symptoms, anemia, or general fatigue in women.

• Modern note: Reflects how normal female health experiences were medicalized and minimized as “weakness.”

Chlorosis (Green Sickness)

• listed above, but its attribution to sexual inexperience is a prime example of sexist medical interpretation.

Nymphomania

• Meaning: Diagnosis for women with perceived “excessive” sexual desire.

• Modern note: Male equivalents were rarely pathologized; this diagnosis reflected moral judgment rather than medical understanding.

Uterine suffocation / Uterine fury

• Meaning: Medieval and Renaissance belief that a “wandering womb” could cause suffocation, seizures, or madness.

• Modern note: Early attempt to explain seizures or panic attacks in women.

Moral insanity

• Meaning: Term used in the 1800s to label behavior, especially in women, that violated societal norms (e.g. sexual behavior, refusing marriage).

• Modern note: Not a real psychiatric condition; a tool of social control.

Fainting fits

• Meaning: Women fainting was viewed as delicate constitution or moral virtue, but often caused by tight corsets, poor diet, or anemia.

A guide to historical diseases and old causes of death commonly found in genealogy records, death certificates, obituaries, and family documents.