Medical Terms

This chapter is not an exhaustive or authoritative list of all diseases and obsolete medical terms. Further, the author is not a medical professional and the information contained within this chapter is not for medical use. This chapter is intended to help genealogists understand medical conditions, illnesses, etc. that affected our ancestors.

Click a letter to open that page of the dictionary:

M

measles

A viral infection that is spread through contact with the saliva from an infected person, sharing utensils is the most common way to catch this contagious disease; symptoms include rash, cough, and fever.

 

meningitis

An infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ. Characterized by high fever, severe headache, and stiff neck or back muscles. Synonym: brain fever.

 

milk sickness

A disease contracted from drinking milk produced by cows that had eaten poisonous weeds.

 

mormal 

Gangrene.  Also called morsal.

 

mumps

A virus that lives in the mouth, nose, and throat can be transmitted when an infected person cough, sneezes, talks, or touches someone else; symptoms include fever, headache, and swollen glands under the jaw.

 

myocarditis

Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium).

 

myocardium

The middle muscular layer of the heart wall.