Ailments you don't hear much about any more:

[trof]

Is anybody afflicted with these ailments any more?

Dishpan Hands
Housemaid's Knee
Dropsy
The Vapours
The Grippe
Melancholia

[ohiosmith]

1. Yes. I have all of them, plus Iron Deficiency Anemia.

[trof]

4. Oh yeah. That's now "Iron Deficiency Syndrome".

Everything is "syndromes" now.
:shrug:

[Rhiannon12866]

57. I've had that, as well.

Try ferrous fumarate, since it's the most easily absorbed.:-)

[datasuspect]

2. self-pollution, onanism

consumption, catarrh

on edit, a long list of them:

Cholera: an acute, infections, often fatal disease causing diarrhea, vomitting, cramps and dehydration.
Consumption: TB.
Dropsy: an excessing accumulation of fluids in a cavity or in the subcutaneous cavity.
Dysentary: an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the bowels and diarrhea.
Dyspepsia: deranged or impaired digestion - indigestion.
Erycipelas: acute, infectious disease evidenced by a deep red inflammation of the skin.
Flux: abnormal discharge from the bowels - dysentary. Sometimes a lead-in to cholera or diagnosed as cholera.
Gravel: kidney stones.
Mortification: gangrene or death of tissue.
Quinsy: tonsillitis.
Scrofula: a form of TB causing swelling and degeneration of the lympathic glands especially in the neck and joints.
St Vitus dance: cholery - primarily in children, a bacterial or organic degeneration, irregular of jerky, involuntary muscular movements.
appoplectic: Modern day equivalent is a stroke
billious colic: bilious pertains to an ailment of the bile or liver resulting in headache, indigestion, nausea, etc. supposed to be caused by an abnormal liver-- likely gall bladder disease or stones
brain fever: encephalitis
brain infirmation or inflamation: likely meningitis
cholera infantum: intestinal disease occuring in warm weather, charachterised by pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and prostration. an acute intestinal poisoning of bacterial origin starting with severe vomiting and diarrhea, followed by fever, shock, and collapse
congestion of the brain: hydrocephalus
congestion of the lungs: pulmonary edema
Coup de Soliel: Translates as "Stroke or blow of the sun"=sunstroke
cynanche tracheitis: cynache is any inflammatory disease of the throat. Cynanche cellularis woiuld mean a sore throat accompanied with excessive cellular growth (hyperplasia). Cynancehe is an old term for any acute disease of the throat in which the patient struggles for breath
eruption of vessel: varicose veins
female disease: could be problems, as in endometriosis
gangrenous diptheria: gangrene refers to a death of a part due to a lack of blood supply in that area. Diptheria is characterized by the formation of a false membrane adhering to the larynx, pharynx, and trachea, although occaisionally of the vagina and conjuctiva
general debility: debility means feeble and refers to the state of abnormal bodily weakness
inflamation of the bowels: gastritis or gastroenteritis
intermittent fever: recurring fever, malaria
neuralgia of the brain: neuralgia is nerve pain, possibly migraine
phthisis pulmonales: a wasting away of the body. an old term for pulmonary tuberculosis, with subsequent emaciation and loss of strength caused by tuberculosis
pulmonary consumption: tuberculosis of the lungs
puerperal fever: septic poisoning, sometimes occuring after childbirth, childbed fever, childbirth complications
putrid sore throat: sore throat with a foul smell
remittent fever: a fever that has periods of abatement, but never really goes away, something like malaria
scrofula dysipales: scrofula is tuberculosis of the lymph glands
summer complaint: caused by spoiled food (often milk products), generally affected children, causing severe dehydration and frequently death---food poisoning
suicide by loderium: Laudenum--a preparation of opium, usually in solution of alcohol it was a liquid opiate used as a cough syrup, pain killer, tonic, and general elixir for what ever ailed you.
ulcerated bowels: could be ulcerative colitis or infectious colitis characterized by bloody diarrhea
AGUE: used to define the recurring fever & chills of malarial infection
APHONIA: laryngitis
BILIOUSNES: jaundice or other symptoms associated with liver disease
CAMP FEVER: typhus
CANINE MADDNESS: hydrophobia
CHLOROSIS: iron deficency anemia
CORRUPTION: infection
CORYZA: a cold
COSTIVENNESS: constipation
CRAMP COLIC: appenditis
DROPSEY: edwma (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease
DYSEPSIA: acid indigestion
EXTRAVASTED BLOOD: rupture of a blood vessel
FALLING SICKNESS: epilepsy
FLUS OF HUMOR: circulation
FRENCH POX: veneral disease
GREEN SICKNESS: anemia
HIP GOUT: osteomylitis
JAIL FEVER: typhus
KINGS EVIL: tubercular infection of the throat lymph glands
LA GRIPPE: flu
LUES VENERA: veneral disease
LUMBAGO: back pain
LUNG FEVER: pneumonia
LUNG SICKNESS: tuberculosis
MANIA: insanity
MORTIFICATION: infection
NOSTALIA: homesickness
PUTRID FEVER: diptheria
QUINSY: toncillitis
REMITTING FEVER: malaria
SANGUINOUS CRUST: scab
SCREWS: rheumatism
SCROFULA: see KINGS EVIL
SHIPS FEVER: typhus
STRANGERY: rupture
SUMMER COMPLAIN: baby diarrhea caused by spoiled milk
VENESECTION: bleeding


even more:

http://www.jenwilletts.com/19thCenturyMedical.htm

[fudge stripe cookays]

18. We had 2 ladies in our family that I'm researching...

that had erisypelas. It's also called "St. Anthony's Fire."

You don't hear about it much anymore because it can be treated with antibiotics now (says the nutso genealogist, who has been doing backup research for her book) :D

[Dervill Crow]

25. Some of those are not that uncommon.

catarrh
Cholera
Dropsy
Dysentary
Dyspepsia
Erysipelas
Flux
Gravel
Mortification
Scrofula
St Vitus dance
billious colic (bilious)
female disease (patients say this)
APHONIA: laryngitis
BILIOUSNES: jaundice or other symptoms associated with liver disease
CORYZA: a cold
DYSEPSIA: acid indigestion
EXTRAVASTED BLOOD: rupture of a blood vessel (extravasated blood would be blood that's not where it is supposed to be)
LUMBAGO: back pain
MANIA: insanity (actually the manic phase in bipolar disorder)
MORTIFICATION: death of tissue
SANGUINOUS CRUST: scab (sanguineous)

One of my co-workers typed "papal edema" instead of papilledema this past Monday. I wondered if she was Catholic.

[sir_captain]

32. dysentery is still called that

at least when caused by amoebas

[ghostsofgiants]

47. A friend of mine had TB not long ago.

And she always called it "consumption" haha, even before she knew it was TB. I've had friends with TB and scurvy over the past year, what's up with that?

[LeftyMom]

3. hysteria

scurvy

[woo me with science]

27. Hysteria is very much alive.

cf. chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, repressed memories, multiple personality disorder, multiple chemical sensitivity, Morgellon's disease, many incorrectly diagnosed "lyme disease" cases, alien abduction syndrome, etc., etc., etc...

You hear the actual term "hysteria" less often these days because of its unfortunate misogynistic history (attributing the hysterical symptoms to a wandering uterus). However, the emotional problems to which it refers are still very prevalent and are the subject of many excellent contemporary books.

[ghostsofgiants]

46. A friend of mine somehow managed to come down with the scurvy last year.

[Rhiannon12866]

58. Wow! That's pretty amazing.

Scurvy is caused by the lack of vitamin C.:-(

[ghostsofgiants]

59. I know...

He's since become a big fan of orange juice, haha.

[Rhiannon12866]

65. Well that's fortunate, LOL.

My point is that scurvy is pretty much obsolete in this day and age. It was primarily an illness suffered by ancient sailors, before they knew to suck on limes...:shrug:

[Arugula Latte]

5. Gout

Although I do know someone who has it.

[pitohui]

43. gout is common

i encounter many who have it and i have owned an animal that had it

[Rhiannon12866]

60. I also know someone who had gout, a guy I used to work with...

Apparently it was exacerbated when he drank too much...:shrug:

[HEyHEY]

6. Brewer's droop!

Or at least around my place since I stopped drinking

[azmouse]

7. Would 'ring around the collar' qualify?

:shrug: They sure made it sound like a disease.

[trof]

9. I actually considered that.

[billyskank]

8. Greensickness

Man if anybody should have that one it's me

[trof]

10. define?

[HEyHEY]

12. some wierd english disease

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. Lara Flynn Boyle had that

in "The Road to Wellville."

And she wasn't wearin' a blouse. :bounce:

[ZombieNixon]

11. Scurvy?

:shrug:

[trof]

13. Limeys cured scurvy.

;-)

[ghostsofgiants]

48. See post 46, haha.

[cobalt1999]

14. rickets

My kids have never heard of cooties...I guess that's been cured. :)

[Ptah]

15. milk leg n/t

[deucemagnet]

16. Being possessed of a foul humour.

I don't care what today's doctors say, leeches will clear that right up. :thumbsup:

[fudge stripe cookays]

17. Tabes dorsalis

One of the ancestors I'm researching had it listed on his death certificate, so I looked it up.

He had tertiary syphilis. It's essentially like having really bad MS, and being incapable of doing pretty much anything because your nerves and innards are so screwed up.

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. Consumption...

aka tuberculosis...my great-great uncle died of this in 1938.

[Book Lover]

21. Ague

Just watched the latest "Sharpe's whateverthehell" on BBC America and a character was afflicted with the ague. Good thing I had the captions on; otherwise I wouldn't have caught the name of the disease.

[pitohui]

41. ague is malaria EOM

.

[Book Lover]

51. Thank you!

The dictionary gave a simple definition of chills and fever. Thanks for the clarification! :hi:

[cwydro]

22. scarlet fever

or is that what's infecting the red states???

[woo me with science]

30. LOL

Don't we wish the red state one would go away.

I actually know several kids who had scarlet fever.

[pitohui]

42. i had scarlet fever as did my best friend

it ain't gone anywhere but it's treatable w. penicillin (spelling?) -- anyway, the well known antibiotic

[BrotherBuzz]

23. Don't forget the Croup

When your coughs sounds like a barking dog or seal, that's croup!


I still have a jar of Kirby's Croup Salve if it ever make a return.

[NC_Nurse]

24. It's still around.

Mostly kids get it.

[BrotherBuzz]

26. Understood, but does it still go by that name?

[NC_Nurse]

34. I think so.

It's been a while since I worked on the Pediatrics unit...it was still croup then.

[woo me with science]

28. Plague is back!!!

Cross that one off the list!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. Cooper's Droop.

An affliction that predated the invention of sports bras.

[woo me with science]

31. With the advent of the HPV vaccine,

hopefully cervical cancer will soon be on this list.

[KamaAina]

33. Trench mouth

And yet Mom came down with that a few years ago. Eurghh.

[Taverner]

35. Polio

[femmocrat]

36. Diphtheria

[sleepyhead]

37. Bright's disease

Which I think is now called kidney failure.

[REP]

52. No; Bright's Is a Non-Specific Diagnosis of Proteinuria

Bright's disease was diagnosed after performing Bright's test (heating urine, and if a solid mass formed, like an egg white, nephrotic levels of protein were present). Many kidney diseases, however, lead to nephrotic syndrome and "Bright's Disease" is now regarded as a non-specific diagnosis.

[swag]

38. Osgood Slaughter's disease

It was mostly about getting bumps on your knees from kneeling in front of your school locker, but doctors didn't follow the kids around to see what we were doing to our knees, so they came up with this bullshit.

[Fountain79]

39. leprosy???? n/t

[mykpart]

53. Leprosy is now Hansen's Bacillus.

But what about lumbago? or catarrh?

[pitohui]

40. trof, melancholia is clinical depression

i used to know what the grippe and vapours were but i forgot

[DBoon]

44. Stinkfoot

In the dark
Where all the fevers grow
Under the water
(Water)
Where the shark bubbles blow
In the mornin'
(Mornin')
By yer radio
(Radio!)
Do the walls close in t'suffocate ya
You ain't got no friends . . .
An' all the others: they hate ya
Does the life you been leadin' gotta go?
Well, let me straighten you out
About a little Russian restaurant I know . . .
(Get yer shoes 'n socks on people, it's right aroun' the corner!)

Out through the night
An' the whisperin' breezes
To the place where they keep
The Imaginary Diseases

Out through the night
An' the whisperin' breezes
To the place where they keep
The Imaginary Diseases . . .

Now scientists call this disease Bromidrosis
(That's right!)
And well they should
Even Napoleon knows that
But us regular folks
Who might wear a tennis shoe
Or an occasional python boot
Know this exquisite little inconvenience by the name of:
STINK FOOT

Y'know, my python boot is too tight
I couldn't get it off last night
A week went by, an' now it's July
I finally got it off
An' my girl-friend cry
"You got STINK FOOT! STINK FOOT, darlin'
Your STINK FOOT puts a hurt on my nose!
STINK FOOT! STINK FOOT! I ain't lyin',
Can you rinse it off, d'you suppose?"

Here Fido . . . Fido . . .
Here Fido . . . bring the slippers little puppy
Yes, that's a good dog! Yes!
"Arf, arf, arf!"

Sick . . .

And now, ladies and gentlemen,
We have a song for you about flying saucers
This song is going to be sung for you by George
And the name of the song is Inca Roads

[crim son]

45. Pleurisy.

Whatever that is.

[sarge43]

63. Inflamation of the pleura (the membrane surrounding the lung)

And trust me, it's still alive and doing its thing.

[libnnc]

49. A Catch-in-my-get-along...

I still use that, btw.

Refers to any stiffness, and/or trouble in the joints.

[ComerPerro]

50. What do you call the disease where a pretzel kicks your ass?

The one Bush has...


Oh yeah...


Alcoholism...




Nevermind.

[blonndee]

54. LOL!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

55. The grippe is the flu

:-)

I haven't heard anyone talk about lumbago recently, but I bet they just call it something else.

[NMMNG]

56. "The Vapours"

I recall an old TV show where an uppity woman went to her doctor claiming she thought she had that, thinking it was some ailment high-class people got. She got really perturbed when the doctor told her "The Vapours" was a euphemism for "gas". :rofl:

[mduffy31]

61. Washer Woman's Elbow

I know Lucy Van Pelt was pissed when she was diagnosed with it.

[sarge43]

62. Several of these just had a name change

Dropsy is now called Congestive Heart Failure, Melancholia - depression, The Grippe - short term respiratory ailments, ie bad cold, low level flu.

[SoCalDem]

64. Lumbago..

one of my relatives had "dropsy" listed as cause of death, on their death certificate..
another's said "exhaustion"...