Addison's Disease
Anemic condition caused by kidney disease

Apoplexy
Stroke. This term dates back to the time of Hippocrates.

Bright's Disease
Another form of kidney disease, covering many of the terms in use today. In its acute form, it is called nephritis.

Camp Fever
Typhus

Carditis (myocarditis)
Inflammation of the heart wall; also covers many of the terms used today in reference to the heart.

Catarrh (catarrhal bronchitis)
Inflammatory affection of a mucous membrane, especially the nose and air passages. This term was widely used in period advertisements for cold remedies.

Chorea (St. Vitus' Dance)
Used to identify any nervous disorder.

Consumption (phthisis pulmonalia)
Tuberculosis. "Consumption" was commonly used in the days when there was no effective treatment of the disease which was characterized by a gradual wasting away of the body.

Diphtheria
An infectious disease which could be spread by infected milk, it occurred mostly in autumn and winter and claimed predominantly children as its victims. The term is still used today, but the disease itself was much more common in the days before vaccination.

Dropsy (anasarca) Referred to a swelling, whether general or localized, such as ascites, which was dropsy of the abdomen, often caused by kidney or heart disease

Enteritis
Inflammation of the intestines, could also take the form of enteric fever (typhoid).

Falling Sickness
Epilepsy

Grave's Disease
Disorder of the thyroid gland. This term is still in use today.

Inanition
Most commonly found in reference to infants and the elderly. It signified death from the inability to assimilate food, probably caused by illness, or, in the case of infants, premature birth.

La Grippe
Another term which enjoyed widespread use in medical advertisements, is today known as the flu.

Lues
Syphilis.

Lumbago
Back pain

Marasmus
Progressive emaciation. In infants, it was associated with feeding problems.

Membranous croup
Marked by a hoarse, ringing cough, it could bring on death if the membrane blocked the trachea.

Milksick
One of the few causes of death not found to some extent today, was not actually a disease, but a form of poisoning. Cows could ingest the leaves of the white snakeroot plant and pass along its toxin in their milk.

Neurasthenia
Neurotic condition characaterized by worry, disturbances of digestion and circulation and attributed to emotional conflict and feelings of inferiority.

Pott's Disease
Degeneration of the vertebrae, often resulting in curvature of the spine.

Quinsy
Severe attack of tonsilitis which resulted in abscess near the tonsils.

Septicemia
Blood poisoning, often resulted in death in the days before antibiotics.

Summer Complaint
Euphemism for dysentery. It was known as such because of its high incidence in sumer. Along with cholera infantum, it was highly infectious and was usually the result of environmental conditions.

Typhoid
Often caused by unsanitary water conditions and contaminated food or milk. Flies could carry the disease and contaminate food supplies. It was more common in swampy areas where shallow wells could become contaminated.