Cause of Death Decoder

 

Cause of Death Decoder 

Part 1

We translate the medical terms your ancestors' doctors used

💡Note: Historical medical terms were used inconsistently. The same symptoms might be called different things by different doctors in different decades. Causes of death on early records were often symptoms rather than diagnoses — "fever" or "convulsions" tell you what the person experienced, not necessarily the underlying disease. Use these translations as starting points, not definitive diagnoses.

Infectious

14 terms found

AgueInfectious

→ Malaria or recurring fever

A cyclical fever with chills and sweating, almost always referring to malaria. Common in the American South, Midwest river valleys, and anywhere with standing water. 'Ague and fever' and 'intermittent fever' are the same thing.

Common 1700s–1900

Bad BloodInfectious

→ Syphilis

A euphemism for syphilis, used on death certificates when the actual disease was considered too shameful to record openly. Also sometimes used loosely for any blood infection.

Common 1800s–1940s

Camp FeverInfectious

→ Typhus

Typhus spread by body lice in crowded, unsanitary conditions. Extremely common in military camps, prisons, and immigrant ships. Also called 'jail fever' and 'ship fever'.

Common 1700s–1900

DysenteryInfectious

→ Severe bloody diarrhea (bacterial or amoebic)

A serious intestinal infection causing bloody diarrhea, fever, and dehydration. Extremely common in military camps, frontier settlements, and anywhere with contaminated water.

Common throughout history

GatheringInfectious

→ Abscess

A collection of pus from a localized infection. Could occur anywhere in the body. Before antibiotics, abscesses could be fatal if they spread.

Common 1700s–1900

Jail FeverInfectious

→ Typhus

Same as camp fever and ship fever — typhus spread by body lice in crowded conditions. Called 'jail fever' when contracted in prisons.

Common 1700s–1900

King's EvilInfectious

→ Scrofula (tuberculosis of the lymph nodes)

Tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes of the neck, causing swelling and draining sores. Named because the king's touch was believed to cure it.

Common 1600s–1800s

LockjawInfectious

→ Tetanus

A bacterial infection causing severe muscle spasms, especially of the jaw. Entered through wounds, often from farming accidents or rusty implements. Almost always fatal before antitoxin.

Common throughout history

Putrid FeverInfectious

→ Typhus or severe septicemia

A fever accompanied by a foul smell and rapid tissue decomposition. Could refer to typhus, severe blood poisoning, or gangrene.

Common 1700s–1880s

Remitting FeverInfectious

→ Malaria (tertian or quartan)

A fever that comes and goes in cycles — typically every two days (tertian) or three days (quartan). Almost always malaria.

Common 1700s–1900

Scarlet FeverInfectious

→ Streptococcal infection with rash (Scarlatina)

A streptococcal infection producing a characteristic red rash, high fever, and sore throat. Could cause rheumatic fever and permanent heart damage. A major killer of children before antibiotics.

Common 1700s–1940s

Ship FeverInfectious

→ Typhus

Typhus contracted aboard ships, especially immigrant vessels. The crowded, unsanitary conditions of steerage were ideal for the body lice that spread the disease.

Common 1700s–1900

Typhoid FeverInfectious

→ Salmonella typhi infection

A bacterial infection spread through contaminated water and food. Caused prolonged high fever, abdominal pain, and a characteristic rash. Distinct from typhus despite the similar name.

Common 1800s–1940s

Yellow Jack / Yellow FeverInfectious

→ Yellow fever (viral hemorrhagic fever)

A mosquito-borne viral disease causing jaundice (yellowing), bleeding, and organ failure. Devastating epidemics struck American port cities — Philadelphia (1793), New Orleans (repeatedly), Memphis (1878).

Common 1700s–1910s

Respiratory  10 terms found

Chin CoughRespiratory

→ Whooping cough (pertussis)

Named for the characteristic posture during coughing spasms. A highly contagious respiratory infection especially dangerous to infants.

Common 1700s–1900

ConsumptionRespiratory

→ Tuberculosis (TB)

The most feared disease of the 19th century. A slow wasting disease of the lungs that 'consumed' the body. Also called 'the white plague.' Extremely common — at its peak, tuberculosis killed 1 in 4 Europeans.

Common 1700s–1940s

CroupRespiratory

→ Laryngotracheobronchitis

A respiratory condition causing a barking cough and difficulty breathing, primarily in children. Caused by viral infection of the upper airway. Could be fatal before modern treatment.

Common 1700s–present

Grippe / La GrippeRespiratory

→ Influenza

The French term for influenza. On death certificates from 1918–1919, 'la grippe' or 'grippe' almost certainly refers to the Spanish flu pandemic.

Common 1800s–1930s

Lung FeverRespiratory

→ Pneumonia

Any severe lung infection with high fever. Usually bacterial pneumonia. Before antibiotics, pneumonia was called 'the old man's friend' because it provided a relatively quick death for the elderly and chronically ill.

Common 1700s–1940s

Membranous CroupRespiratory

→ Diphtheria

Diphtheria causes a thick membrane to form in the throat, blocking the airway. One of the most feared childhood diseases before vaccination. Killed thousands of children annually.

Common 1700s–1940s

PhthisisRespiratory

→ Tuberculosis (advanced pulmonary TB)

The Greek-derived medical term for consumption/tuberculosis. Used by physicians who preferred Latin and Greek terminology. 'Phthisis pulmonalis' specifically meant lung tuberculosis.

Common 1700s–1920s

PleurisyRespiratory

→ Pleuritis (inflammation of the lung lining)

Sharp chest pain worsened by breathing, caused by inflammation of the membrane surrounding the lungs. Could result from pneumonia, tuberculosis, or other infections.

Common throughout history

QuinsyRespiratory

→ Peritonsillar abscess

A severe complication of tonsillitis where an abscess forms beside the tonsil, potentially blocking the airway. George Washington may have died from complications of quinsy.

Common 1700s–1920s

Winter FeverRespiratory

→ Pneumonia

Pneumonia contracted during the cold months. Distinguished from 'lung fever' mainly by the season of occurrence.

Common 1800s–1920s

Continue to Part 2: Decoding Degenerative and External Causes of Death →