Below are common diseases found on death records.
Apoplexy - Paralysis due to stroke
Brain Fever (also called "brain inflamation" - Meningitis or Encephalitis
Bright's Disease - Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys
Camp fever (Civil War era)- typhoid
Child bed fever - Infection following birth of a child
Cholera - Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing
Cholera morbus - Characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, elevated temperature, etc. Could be appendicitis.
Congestive chills/ fever - Malaria
Consumption - Tuberculosis
Decrepitude - Feebleness due to old age
Dropsy - Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease
Dropsy of the Brain - Encephalitis
Dysentery - Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood
Encephalitis - Swelling of brain; aka sleeping sickness
Falling sickness - Epilepsy
Flux - An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea
Grippe/grip - Influenza like symptoms
Jaundice - Condition caused by blockage of intestines
Lagrippe - Influenza
Lockjaw - Tetanus or infectious disease affecting the muscles of the neck and jaw. Untreated, it is fatal in 8 days
Lung fever - Pneumonia
Lung sickness - Tuberculosis
Meningitis - Inflation of brain or spinal cord
Nephrosis - Kidney degeneration
Nepritis - Inflammation of kidneys
Quinsy - Abscess behind tonsils
(the) Runs - dysentery and diarrhea
Small pox - Contagious disease with fever and blisters
Sugar disease - Diabetes
Summer complaint - Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk
Sweet Urine Disease - Diabetes
Tennessee Trot (Civil war era) - dysentery and diarrhea
Tetanus - Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache and dizziness
Trench mouth - apathos ulcers or a virus disease
Thrush - Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips and throat
Tuberculosis - Bacterial infection that primarily attacks the lungs, but which may also affect the kidneys, bones, lymph nodes, and brain. Symptoms of TB include coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, chills, and fatigue.
Typhus - Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache, and dizziness
Virginia Quickstep (Civil war era) - dysentery and diarrhea
Winter fever - Pneumonia
This page was last updated on: 12 Jan 2026 9:37pm CT
Coding changes only.
A future update will move the content into a table for easier viewing.
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