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The Virtual Tour of Hampstead |
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The HiFtorical RegiFter,
containing an impartial
relation of
all tranSactionS, foreign and domeFtic, with a Chronological Diary of all
the Remarkable OccurrenceS, viz. BirthS, MarriageS, DeathS, Removals,
Promotions &c. that happened in this year, Volume V for the year 1720, published
at the
expence (sic) of the Sun Fire Office
(or More than you ever wanted to know about causes of death)
This list came from the above book, which
provides a fascinating insight to
causes of death in 1720. What, for instance, can St Anthony's Fire be? Tissick? Horse-shoe Head? Planet struck?
The figures in brackets refer to the explanations for some of these terms.
Thanks to the many people who provided the explanations and links to medical
sites for further reading.
The General Bill of all the Christenings and Burials with the ...... and
Casualties from Dec 15 1719 to Dec 13 1720.
Christen'd
Bury'd
Males 8877
Males 12713
Females 8602
Females 12741
In all 17479
Decreased in the
Burials this year 2893
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Causes of Death |
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| Abortive 132
Aged 2317 Ague 15 Apoplexy 82 (17) Asthma 86 Bedridden 3 Bleeding 4 Bloody Flux 11 (4) Bursten 6 (18) Cancer 64 Canker 20 Childbed 260 Chin-cough 10 (3) Chrisoms 56 (19) Cholick 98 Consumption 3054 Convulsion 6787 Diabetes 5 Dropsy 1021 Evil 24 Fever 3910 Fistula 12 (5) Flux 11 French Pox 108 (25) Gangrene 5 Gout 30 |
Gravel 5 (10) Grief 12 Griping in the guts 731 Head Mould shot 66 Hooping cough 33 Horse shoe head 46 (15) Jaundice 107 Imposthume 47 (20) Infants 14 Inflammation 6 Lethargy 6 Liver-grown 1 (21) Looseness 45 Lunatick 44 Measles 213 Mortification 184 (11) Pain in the head 3 Pain in the stomach 1 Planet struck 1 (16) Palsy 40 Plurisy 32 Purples 16 (12) Quinsy 7 (22) Rash 10 Rheumatism 22 Rickets 84 |
Rising of the
lights 22
(7) Rupture 20 St Anthony's Fire 8 (1) Scald head 2 (6) Scarlet fever 3 Scurvey 1 Small pox 1440 Sores and ulcers 32 Spleen 6 Spotted fever 66 (13) Still-born 562 Stone 59 (23) Stop in stomach 125 Strangury 10 (24) Suddenly 119 Surfeit 8 (14) Teeth 1817 Thrusa 80 Tissick 455 (2) Twisting of the Guts77 Tympany 9 (8) Vomiting 21 Water in the Head 110 White swelling 1 (9) Worms 75 |
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Casualties |
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| Broken leg 2 Bruised 3 Burnt 3 Drown'd 66 Excessive drinking 18 Executed 20 |
Found dead 21 Frighted 1 Kill'd accidently 47 Kill'd by falls 13 Kill'd with a sword 3 Murder'd 4 |
Overlaid 69 Scalded 1 Shot 1 Smother'd 4 Stabb'd 1 Suffocated 3 |
(1) St Anthony's Fire is an old term for ergotism or
ergot poisoning leading to gangrene (eg from eating bread made with rye on which
a certain fungus is growing) although it was also more commonly used for
erysipelas, an infection of the face caused by streptococcal bacteria. Ergot (Claviceps
purpea) is a fungus that affects rye and sometimes other grains. Ergot contains
lysergic acid, the active principle of the psychedelic drug LSD. In Medieval
timesoutbreaks of St. Anthony's Fire were common in countries where populations
subsisted on rye bread. St. Anthony's Fire is a toxic condition whose symptoms
include hallucinations, disorientation, muscle cramps, convulsions,
miscarriages, and gangrene and may result in death. It affects both humans and
animals. Some beneficial drugs are also provided by ergot, used to treat
migraines, to induce labour and to control uterine bleeding.
(2) Tissick - a cough. Tuberculosis.
(3) Chin cough - whooping cough.
(4) Bloody flux - dysentery.
(5) Fistula - a narrow passage or duct formed by disease or injury, as one leading from an abcess to a free surface, or from one cavity to another.
(6) Scald head - Seborrhoeic eczema of the scalp. (Can you die of this???)
(7) Rising of the lights - Lights is an old term for the lungs, so this means choking or breathlessness..
(8) Tympany - There are three terms that are similar to this one, and they are all to do with the ear. A tumour.
(9) White swelling - Tuberculosis of the bone or joints.
(10) Gravel - Passage of small stones formed in the kidneys with the urine.
(11) Mortification - Gangrene, necrosis or severe infection.
(12) Purples - Purpura, this is a rash due to spontaneous bleeding in to the skin.
(13) Spotted Fever - Typhus.
(14) Surfeit - Means vomiting from overeating or gluttony.
(15) Horse shoe head - Water on the brain.
(16) Planet-struck seems to be a "sudden and apparently causeless stroke of disease" for example, epilepsy, paralysis or lunacy.
(17) Apoplexy - stroke.
(18) Bursten - Rupture.
(19) Chrisom - child who died before baptism or shortly after.
(20) Impostume - cyst or abscess.
(21) Liver grown - enlarged liver.
(22) Quinsy - throat inflammation.
(23) Stone - gallstones.
(24) Stranguary - urinary disease.
(25) French Pox - I think we all know what this is. I believe the French used to call it the English Pox!
If you still want to find out more, here is
a list of useful sites:-
http://footguards.tripod.com/01ABOUT/01_sickness.htm
Archaic Medical Terms
http://www.paul_smith.doctors.org.uk/ArchaicMedicalTerms.htm
MEDICAL TERMS FROM DAYS OF OLD
http://www.jansdigs.com/Racine/medical.html
Medical Terms - Links to Medical Terminology sites
http://www.coraweb.com.au/medico.htm
For a glossary of historic disease names, see:
http://www.bignell.uk.com/glossary_of_old_names.htm
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