Last modified: November 06 2006.
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| MEDICAL TERMS: |
TODAY'S DIAGNOSIS or EXPLANATION: |
| For a good list of older terms, go to ... |
Archaic Terms |
| Abasia |
Inability to walk or stand due to hysteria |
| Ablepsy, Ablepsia, Abopsia |
Blindness |
| Accouchment |
Post-natal period following childbirth |
| Aegrotat |
Is sick from |
| Ague |
Recurring fever/chills of Malaria |
| Ague-cake |
Enlargement of the spleen caused by Malaria |
| American plague |
Yellow fever |
| Anasarca |
Generalised massive oedema |
| Aphonia |
Laryngitis |
| Aphtha, Aphthae, Thrush |
A yeast infection resulting in whitish spots and ulcers on the membranes of the mouth, tongue, and fauces caused by Candida albicans which is a parasitic fungus. |
| Apoplexy |
Stroke induced paralysis |
| Asphycsia, Asphyxia, Asphicsia |
Cyanotic and lack of oxygen |
| Atrophy |
Wasting away or diminishing in size |
| Bacteremia |
The presence of viable bacteria circulating in the blood; blood poisoning |
| Bad blood |
Syphilis |
| Bilious fever |
Fever caused by a liver disorder |
| Biliousness |
Jaundice associated with liver disease |
| Black death |
Typhus |
| Black fever |
Acute infection with high fever, dark red skin lesions and a high mortality rate |
| Black lung |
Lung disease caused by the inhalation of coal dust |
| Black pox |
Black smallpox |
| Blackwater fever |
Dark coloured urine associated with a high fever |
| Black vomit |
Vomiting of old black blood as a result of ulcers or yellow fever |
| Bladder in the throat |
Diptheria |
| Blood poisoning |
Bacterial infection, septicemia |
| Bloody flux |
Dysentery, bloody stools |
| Bloody sweat |
Sweating sickness |
| Bone shave |
Sciatica |
| Brain fever |
Meningitis |
| Breakbone |
Dengue fever |
| Bright's Disease |
A disease of the kidney/s involving chronic inflammation |
| Bronze John |
Yellow fever |
| Bule |
Boil or tumor |
| Cachexy |
Malnutrition |
| Cacogastric |
Upset stomach |
| Cacospysy |
Irregular pulse |
| Caduceus |
Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy |
| Camp fever |
Typhoid fever, typhus |
| Canine madness |
Rabies |
| Canker |
Ulceration of mouth or lips, herpes |
| Catalepsy |
Seizures, trances |
| Catarrh |
Inflammatory infection of mucous membranes. In America, the term catarrh is applied especially to a chronic inflammation of, and hypersecretion from, the membranes of the nose or air passages; in England, to an acute influenza, resulting a cold, and attended with cough, thirst, lassitude, and watery eyes; also, to the cold itself. (from Dictionary.com) |
| Cerebritis |
Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning |
| Chillblain |
Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold |
| Child bed fever |
Infection following the birth of a child |
| Chin cough |
Whooping cough |
| Chlorosis |
Anaemia, iron deficiency |
| Cholera morbus |
Characterised by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever, possibly appendicitis. |
| Cholecystitis |
Inflammation of the gall bladder |
| Cholelithiasis |
Gall stones |
| Chorea |
Involuntary, forcible, rapid, jerky movements that may be subtle or become confluent, markedly altering normal patterns of movement. |
| Cold plague |
Ague which is characterised by chills |
| Colic |
Abdominal pain and cramping |
| Congenital Myxedema |
See "Cretinism" |
| Congestive chills |
Malaria with diarrhea |
| Congestive fever, congestive chills |
Malaria |
| Consumption |
Tuberculosis/pulmonary tuberculosis, wasting disease, white plague, consumption |
| Corruption |
Infection |
| Coryza |
A cold |
| Costiveness |
Constipation |
| Cramp colic |
Appendicitis |
| Cretinism |
A congenital condition caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormone during prenatal development and characterized in childhood by dwarfed stature, mental retardation, dystrophy of the bones, and a low basal metabolism. (from Dictionary.com) |
| Crop sickness |
Over-extended stomach |
| Croup |
Laryngitis, diptheria or strep throat. Today croup is well known for it's bark-like cough caused by a dry, infected throat. |
| Cyanosis |
Dark skin colour from lack of oxygen in blood |
| Cynanche |
Disease of the 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 |
An acute disorder brought on by the cessation or reduction of chronic alcohol consumption, causing confusion, delusions, hallucinations, tremors, insomnia and other side effects. |
| Dengue |
Infections fever endemic to East Africa |
| Dentition |
Cutting of teeth |
| Deplumation |
Tumor of the eyelids causing hair loss |
| Diary fever |
Fever that lasts one day |
| Diphtheria |
A localised infection of mucous membranes or skin which is contagious. |
| Dock fever |
Yellow fever |
| Dropsy |
Swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue; oedema. |
| Dropsy of the brain |
Encephalitis |
| Dry bellyache |
Lead poisoning |
| Dyscrasy |
An abnormal body condition |
| Dysentery |
Inflamation of the intestines, especially the colon, causing stomach pain and diarrhea |
| Dysorexy |
Reduced appetite |
| Dyspepsia |
Impaired digestion particularly after eating; indigestion. |
| Dysury |
Difficulty in urination |
| Eclampsy |
Convulsions during labour, consistent with epilepsy |
| Ecstasy |
A form of catalepsy characterised by loss of reason |
| Edema, oedema |
An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity, nephrosis, swelling of tissue |
| Edema of lungs |
Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy |
| Eel thing |
Erysipelas |
| Elephantiasis |
A form of leprosy |
| Encephalitis |
Inflamation, or swelling, of the brain usually due to infection. Also known as "sleeping sickness". |
| Enteric fever |
Typhoid fever |
| Enteritis |
Inflammation of the bowels |
| Enterocolitis |
Inflammation of the intestines |
| Epitaxis |
Nose bleed |
| Erysipelas |
An acute disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by a species of hemolytic streptococcus, marked by localised infection and fever. Also called Saint Anthony's Fire |
| Extravasted blood |
Rupture of a blood vessel |
| Falling sickness |
Epilepsy |
| Fatty liver |
Yellow discoloration of the liver due to fatty degeneration of the parenchymal cells |
| Fits |
Sudden attacks or seizure of muscle activity |
| Flux |
An excessive flow or discharge of bodily fluids, like haemorrhage or diarrhea |
| French pox |
Syphilis |
| Galloping consumption |
Pulmonary tuberculosis |
| Gathering |
A collection of pus |
| Great pox |
Syphilis |
| Green fever, green sickness |
Anaemia |
| Grippe, grip |
Influenza-like symptoms |
| Grocer's itch |
An itching dermatitis following prolonged contact with some mites (especially of the Acaridae family) often found in sugar and flour. Also called Baker's Itch |
| Haematemesis |
Vomitting blood |
| Haematuria |
The presence of blood or blood cells in the urine |
| Heart sickness |
Condition caused by loss of salt from the body |
| Hectical complaint |
Recurrent fever |
| Hemiplegy |
Paralysis of one side of the body |
| Hip gout |
Osteomyelitis, i.e. an infection (usually bacterial) of bone and bone marrow resulting in inflammation which can cause a reduction of blood flow to the bone, |
| Horrors |
Delirium tremens |
| Hydrocephalus |
Enlarged head, fluid on the brain |
| Hydropericardium |
Heart dropsy |
| Hydrophobia |
Rabies |
| Hydrothorax |
Dropsy in the chest, accumulation of serous fluids in one or both pleural cavities |
| Hypertrophic |
Enlargement of an organ or tissue in size rather than number of cells, like the heart |
| Impetigo |
Contagious bacterial skin infection usually found in children characterised by the eruption of pustules and the formation of thick yellow crusts, usually on the face. |
| Inanition |
Physical exhaustion as a result of lack of nourishment |
| Infantile paralysis |
Poliomyelitis; polio |
| Intestinal colic |
Abdominal pain due to improper diet |
| Jail fever |
Typhus |
| Jaundice |
Yellowish discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes and mucous membranes caused by a deposition of bile salts in these tissues. It occurs as a symptom of diseases such as hepatitis that affect the processing of bile. |
| King's evil |
Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands |
| Kruchhusten |
Whooping cough |
| Lagrippe |
Influenza |
| Lock jaw |
Tetanus |
| Long sickness |
Tuberculosis |
| Lues disease |
Syphilis |
| Lumbago |
Back pain |
| Lung fever |
Pneumonia |
| Lung sickness |
Tuberculosis |
| Lying in |
The time during the delivery of a baby |
| Malignant sore throat |
Diptheria |
| Mania |
Insanity |
| Marasmus |
Progressive wasting away of the body, i.e. malnutrition |
| Membranous croup |
Diptheria |
| Metritis |
Inflammation of the uterus |
| Miasma |
A poisonous atmosphere formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease. This is not truly a medical term, however, it IS the cause of disease and so was added to this list. |
| Milk leg |
Postpartum thrombophlebitis |
| Milk sickness, milk fever |
An acute and often fatal disease caused by eating milk, milk products or the flesh of cattle or sheep infected with Trembles. Trembles is caused by poisoning from eating white snakeroot and the rayless goldenrod, both are toxic weeds. |
| Mononucleosis, infectious mononucleosis |
Glandular fever, i.e. the presence of an abnormally high number of white blood cells with single nuclei in the bloodstream. |
| Mormal |
Gangrene, cancer |
| Morphew |
Scurvy blisters on the skin |
| Mortification |
Death or decay of a part of a living body, gangrene or necrosis |
| Myelitis |
Inflamation of the spinal cord. |
| Myocarditis |
Inflamation of the muscular walls of the heart. |
| Necrosis |
Death of cells or tissue through injury or disease, especially in a localised area |
| Nephritis |
Inflamation of the kidney. |
| Nephrosis |
A disease of the kidneys marked by degenerative lesions, especially of the winding uriniferous tubules |
| Nervous prostration |
Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities |
| Neuralgia |
Sharp, severe paroxysmal pain extending along a nerve or group of nerves, i.e. headache is a neuralgia in the head. |
| Nostalgia |
Homesickness |
| Oedema, edema |
An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity, nephrosis, swelling of tissues |
| Palsy |
Paralysis or loss of muscle control. |
| Paroxysm |
Convulsion |
| Pemphigus |
Any of several acute or chronic skin diseases characterised by groups of itching blisters |
| Pericarditis |
Inflammation of the heart |
| Peripneumonia |
An acute or chronic disease marked by inflammation of the lungs which is caused by viruses, bacteria or other micro-organisms and sometimes by physical and chemical irritants. |
| Peritonitis |
Inflammation of the peritoneum, which is the serous membrane which lines the walls of the abdominal cavity and folds inward to enclose the viscera. |
| Petechial fever |
A malignant fever accompanied with livid spots on the skin |
| Phthiriasis |
Infestation of lice, especially crab lice, pediculosis |
| Phthisis |
Tuberculosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, wasting disease, white plague, consumption |
| Pleurisy |
Inflamation of the lung which causes pain with each breath taken. |
| Podagra |
Gout, especially of the big toe |
| Pott's disease |
Partial distruction of the vertebral bones which is usually caused by a tuberculous infection and often results in a curvature of the spine. |
| Poverty Blood |
Pernicious Anaemia |
| Pox, the pox |
Syphilis |
| Puerperal exhaustion |
Death due to childbirth |
| Puerperal fever |
Elevated temperature after giving birth to a baby |
| Puking fever |
Milk sickness |
| Quinsy |
Tonsilitis |
| Remitting fever |
Malaria |
| Rickets |
A disease of the skeletal system caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, particularly in infancy and childhood. This can be cured with vitamin D and sunlight combined with a healthy diet. |
| Rose cold, rose fever |
Hayfever or nasal symptoms of an allergy appearing in spring or summer |
| Rubeola |
German measles |
| Saint Anthony's Fire |
An acute disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by a species of hemolytic streptococcus, marked by localised inflammation and fever. Also called Erysipelas. |
| Sanguineous crust |
Scab |
| Scarlatina |
Scarlet fever, a disease characterised by a scarlet skin eruption or rash and high fever |
| Scirrhus |
Cancerous tumors which are hard and dense |
| Scotomy |
Dizziness, nausea and dimness of sight due to an appearance of a dark spot before the eye |
| Screws |
Rheumatism |
| Scrivener's palsy |
Writer's cramp |
| Scrofula |
Infection of the lymph nodes by tuberculosis. |
| Scrumpox |
Skin disease, impetigo |
| Scurvy |
A disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C, characterised by spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin and extreme weakness |
| Septicemia |
Blood poisoning |
| Shakes |
Delirium tremens |
| Shingles, herpes zoster |
An acute viral infection characterised by inflammation of the sensory ganglia of certain spinal or cranial nerves and the eruption of vesicules along the affected nerve path. It usually affects only one side of the body and is often accompanied by severe neuralgia. |
| Ship fever |
Typhus |
| Siriasis |
Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure, sunstroke |
| Sleeping sickness |
See "Encephalitis" |
| Sloes |
Milk sickness |
| Sore throat distemper |
Diptheria or quinsy |
| Spotted fever |
Either typhus or meningitis |
| Sprue |
Tropical disease characterised by intestinal disorders and sore throat |
| St. Vitus dance |
Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntarily |
| Stomatitis |
Inflammation of the mucous tissue of the mouth |
| Stranger's fever |
Yellow fever |
| Strangury |
A condition marked by slow, painful urination which is caused by muscular contractions of the urethra and bladder |
| Sudor anglicus |
Sweating sickness, see below |
| Swamp sickness |
Could be malaria, typhoid or encephalitis |
| Sweating sickness |
A clinical condition characterised by profuse sweating and fever often leading to death. There were 5 epidemics in England from 1485 to 1551. |
| Tick fever |
A febrile disease transmitted by ticks. Also known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Texas fever. |
| Trench mouth |
Painful ulcers found along the gum line which are caused by poor nutrition and hygiene |
| Tuberculosis/pulmonary tuberculosis, phthisis, consumption, wasting disease, white plague |
Infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of tubercle bacilli and manifested in fever and small lesions (usually in the lungs but in various other parts of the body in acute stages) |
| Tussis convulsiva |
Whooping cough |
| Variola |
Smallpox |
| Venesection |
Techniques used to draw blood from veins. |
| Viper's dance |
St. Vitus dance |
| Wasting disease |
Tuberculosis/pulmonary tuberculosis, phthisis, white plague, consumption |
| White plague |
Tuberculosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, wasting disease, phthisis, consumption |
| 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 fever |
An acute and infectious viral disease occuring usually in the tropics, transmitted by mosquito bite. |
| Yellow jacket |
Yellow fever |
