Glossary of Old Scottish Terms for Causes of Death

Ablepsy - Blindness

Apoplexy - Paralysis due to a stroke

Bad Blood - Syphilis

Bilious Fever - Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis

Black plague or death - Bubonic plague

Brain Fever - Meningitis

Cacogastric - Upset stomach

Canine Madness - Rabies, hydrophobia

Chilblain - Swelling of extremities caused by the cold

Cholecystitus - Inflammation of the gall bladder

Cramp Colic - Appendicitis

Croup - Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat

Debility - Lack of movement or bedridden

Dengue - Infectious fever usually from East Africa

Dock Fever - Yellow fever

Dropsy of the Brain - Encephalitis

Elephantiasis - A form of leprosy

Falling Sickness - Epilepsy

Fatty Liver - Cirrhosis of liver

Hip Gout - Osteomylitis

Infantile Paralysis - Polio

Jail Fever - Typhus

Kruchhusten - Whooping cough

Long Sickness - Tuberculosis

Marasmus - Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition

Nervous prostration - Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities

Podagra - Gout

Putrid Fever - Diphtheria

Rose Cold - Hay fever or allergy

Screws - Rheumatism

Scrumpox - Skin disease, impetigo

Sweating Sickness - Infectious and fatal disease common to Scotland in 15th century

Tussis Convulsiva - Whooping cough

Winter Fever - Pneumonia

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