people, places and things

An apple a day…

Whatever happened to the old names of infections and illnesses? Do you ever read old novels and wonder what they are talking about? We become more scientific in our use of disease names and thus the change. Here is a little primer to help you translate all those strange infirmities you might come across:

Bad Blood/French Pox Syphilis
Brain Fever Meningitis
Canine Madness Rabies
Chin Cough Whopping Cough
Consumption Tuberculosis
Decreptitude Old Age
Dropsy Swelling for Heart or Kidney Disease
Domestic Illness Depression, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease
Dry Bellyache Lead Poisoning
Dyspepsia Indigestion and heartburn
Ectasy Loss of reasoning
Epitaxis Nose Bleed
Falling Sickness Epilepsy
Green Fever Anemia
La Grippe Flu
Lumbago Back pain
Neuralgia Discomfort
Nostalgia Home Sickness
Quinsy Tonsillitis
Screws Rheumatism
Ship Fever or Camp Fever Typhus
St. Vitas Dance Leg twitching from rheumatic fever
Trench Mouth Ulcers on the gums

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January 19th, 2007 at 7:27 pm


2 Responses to “An apple a day…”

  1. Dirty Butter Says:

    This is an interesting list, particularly since my most recent post on Yesterday’s Memories is about some of the “extinct” medicines and home remedies I remember in times past.

    I’d be glad to have you comment on

    http://vintage.dirtybutter.com/blog/

  2. Colleen Says:

    I remember learning in school that Edgar Allen Poe’s wife and mother both died of “the consumption”

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