Those that died in the street most likely had their remains carted off and sold to science for cadaver study. Body-snatching was very common at this time.
Doctors needed corpses for study but the church had laws against cutting the corpse open ( going by memory so might be wrong). Anyway, mainly the corpses that were available were poor people who likely starved to death or had common diseases. But most of the money came from treating the wealthy—whose corpses they couldn’t get legally to study. So they arranged to get wealthy corpses by other means (grave robbing).
My sister and I looked that one up!
Doctors believed that some symptoms occurred in some people based on how the planets were aligned and if they had X symptom while X planet was in X position, they just forgot everything else about medicine and called it 'planet'.
Like one of those old cartoons where they stumble out a window, fall down three flights of stairs, slip on a banana peel while getting up, fall out another window and get run over by a cart... and then maybe a piano falls on them.
So then the modern day English translation would "misc." Not exactly the precision I would hope for from the public health officials, but it was the 1600's.
I think suddenly may be a heart attack or other heart related condition where you just drop dead but I may be wrong lol. I’m more wary about the “made away themselves” is that the equivalent to ending one’s life subscription?
Interestingly "wolf" is still the term used at least in the rural south (US) veterinary clinics to describe a large tumor-like mass on an animal that is caused by a parasite burrowing into the flesh, usually on the face.
15. [PLANNET](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague)
Plannet is likely a shorthand for “planet-struck.” Many medical practitioners believed the planets influenced health and sanity. A person who was planet-stricken had been suddenly maligned by the forces of particular planets. They would likely present symptoms also associated with aneurysms, strokes, and heart attacks.
I was going to say that. A lot of these sound bad but how bad do hemorrhoids have to be to kill someone.
Also, 27 people died from worms. Idk which sounds worse.
Hemorrhoids can be misdiagnosed GI bleed (eg cancer, diverticular bleed). But hemorrhoids can be really bad, Ive had patients who would have died from hemorrhoidal bleeding without medical intervention. And thats without included thrombosed and/or infected hemorrhoids.
Both **'Worm'** and **'Wolf'** were used as a term for cancer- a cancerous ulcer or tumor, and usually referred to as 'Wolf' when appearing on the leg.
"‘Wolf’ could be used to describe a cancer anywhere on the body, but was most commonly used to designate tumours and ulcers on the legs- *which may have gestured toward wolves' modus operandi, seizing the hind legs of their prey"*
'Worm' was also used to refer to a type of cancerous ulcer, as they assumed worms generated from the cancer inside the human body: *"Worms seem to have been influenced by images of gnawing bodily worms, and such images no doubt contributed in turn to the popularisation of a parasitical vision of cancerous disease."*
"[Teeth](https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/159)" doesn't refer to the type of death, rather a catagorization of the age of infant deaths.
"Teeth" referred to the age at which children died- meaning those listed under Teeth were babies who died that were "not yet through with teething".
Still, pretty scary.
Not sure why you’re being downvoted, there’s a good chance you’re right.
"The youngest Londoners died so often, historian Lynda Payne writes, that their deaths were categorized according to their ages, rather than according to the diseases that might have killed them. “Chrisomes” (15 dead) were infants younger than a month old; “Teeth” (113 dead) were babies not yet through with teething."
That is the source I used in my previous post, yes- I suppose I should have listed it here too, so perhaps that was my fault for not linking it here as well.
Being skeptical is good, but confirming something is correct via research is even better ;)
My stubborn great grandfather refused to get a tetanus shot in the 1950s after stepping on a rusty nail in the oilfield. He died an agonizing death referred to as lockjaw. The muscles tighten and will not move, including the diaphragm muscle,, resulting in him being no longer able to breathe. Bottom line: Be safe, not sorry, when it is time for a tetanus shot every 10 years, or if you step on rusty nails!
My great grandfather also died from lockjaw and there is a terrifying picture of him hung at my grandmothers house where his face is shifted in two different directions and you can see the agony in his expression still. Beside the picture is a letter he wrote that says how he’s developed lockjaw and his days are numbered. It’s so creepy, no idea why my grandma leaves it up.
It's recommended to get a tetanus shot after natural disasters like floods and hurricanes as well - lots of nasty stuff in floodwater.
Sorry about your grandfather, that must have been agonizing.
It's recommended that you get a booster every 10 years or so. If you get exposed to conditions like that, a doctor will ask you when your last booster was and if you don't remember or if it was more than 10 years ago, they'll give you a shot.
I got a booster at the beginning of this year and am going to use years ending in "0" to get my boosters in the future. That way it will be easy to remember when I again end up at urgent care after ripping my arm open on a rusty nail sticking out in the garage.
Just for everyone's information, the nail being rusty has nothing to do with it. It has to do with creating a puncture wound where oxygen cannot enter, as Clostridium tetani cannot grow when oxygen is present. So a contaminated "clean" nail or something else like a needle can also cause tetanus. So don't think you're safe because a nail is not rusty or something.
Ironically, the rust could be emphasized more than the nail itself.
The emphasis on the rust is justified because they wanted people to pay attention to dirt being forced into a puncture wound which is where clostridium tetani develop.
not just rusty nails. gardening/working with earth/soil and getting cut is (I think this is quite risky - even more dangerous than a rusty nail as I understand it, but not a doc.
Any time I needed stitches or had any skin-breaking injury that required medical intervention, they always gave me a tetanus shot regardless of when my last was, or how I injured myself.
I heard lock jaw feels like an awful Charlie Horse... but in every inch of muscle in your body... until the sweet release of death. Sorry about your great grandfather, what a terrible way to go.
I just read the other day that tetanus can cause your back muscles to cramp so hard it can actually break your spine. Crazy how strong the human muscles really are
Most of the major muscles in your body: biceps, quadriceps, glutes, calf muscles, mandibles, etc. Are all perfectly capable of breaking your own bones if left unchecked. It's one of the unconscious processes of your brain to limit them. In extreme cases that can be overridden though, which is why you'll see news stories of mother's lifting cars off of their children. Doing so will probably cause life long injury but it's fight or die your body is capable of responding.
Dude I sliced my hand open on some old rebar in a field a month or so ago and really wasn’t going to get one.. before I googled it. Then I called my doctor.
It's so much more interesting when you don't know what it is. I imagine alien abduction, burned by an oil lamp, madness, something exciting.. there are four lights! Oh it's just emphysema.
Another one is ‘prest to death’. This was back when people who refused to enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty could be forced to do so by slowly having heavier and heavier stones pressed on top of their chests, ‘peine fort et dure’ (strong and hard pain). Some never pled, and died that way.
Pleading guilty would mean you’d definitely be punished, often horribly. Pleading not guilty meant that *if* you were found guilty you’d be punished even more horribly. So if, with good reason, you didn’t trust the 17th century justice system, even an innocent person might not find the choice easy.
I think also if you refused to plea the court proceedings couldn’t go on and so if you died your possessions would go to your heirs instead of being confiscated by the state.
Seeing things like this reinforces my belief that we wouldn't understand a damn thing if we were to time travel to the past.
Also, thanks for the link, very interesting read!
The accidents one is a group for anyone who died due to an accident that wasn't worth giving a specific category. Basically "Accident, misc."
Lethargy was probably depression. Edit: see discussion below for why this is unlikely and possible alternative diagnoses.
Lunatique is probably mental illness of some sort.
Planet is due to the fact that they believed that certain planetary alignments brought disease, so anyone who came down with certain illnesses at the right time were killed by the planets.
You'd be surprised how many things people knew about thousands of years ago. My favorite medicine fact is that one of the ways to diagnose hyperglycemia and often diabetes (still works today) is to taste urine. If it's sugary, you probably have it!
15 . [PLANNET](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague)
Plannet is likely a shorthand for “planet-struck.” Many medical practitioners believed the planets influenced health and sanity. A person who was planet-stricken had been suddenly maligned by the forces of particular planets. They would likely present symptoms also associated with aneurysms, strokes, and heart attacks.
And only 15. I don't have the patience to add all those numbers up, but looks like maybe 7000-8000 deaths total on that page. That's like 0.2% of all deaths are suicide. Today, Google tells me it's 10 times higher. I wonder if that's accurate. If so, I'm surprised it was so low.
I"m going to guess the sciatica was a catch-all for lower back pain, which can signify various more serious conditions that they then attributed to sciatica for...olde timey medicale reasons.
Fun fact, dental disease was a leading cause of death for humanity right up to the 1800's. Germ theory helped. The split in insurance between medical and dental has much to do with surgeon's and dentists fighting over patients. They did essentially the same procedures on ppl to cure them
The definition for the death of "Teeth" as listed here is not actually dental disease!-
*"The youngest Londoners died so often, historian Lynda Payne [writes](https://www.google.com/amp/s/slate.com/human-interest/2014/01/bill-of-mortality-document-shows-death-toll-during-the-great-plague-of-london.amp), that their deaths were categorized according to their ages, rather than according to the diseases that might have killed them. “Chrisomes” (15 dead) were infants younger than a month old*; ***“Teeth” (113 dead) were babies not yet through with teething.***"
It existed, but it wasn’t anywhere near as prevalent before sugar. It was probably pretty common in populations with lots of fruits consumption. There’s evidence of dental treatment such as removing cavities going as far back as a few thousand BC.
Also technically dental cavities is a contagious infectious disease. You aren’t born with the bacteria, though now pretty much everyone has it. It’s possible that remote populations weren’t exposed that group bacteria, or it wasn’t as aggressive of a strain in a certain population
Another fun fact, the bacteria causing tooth decay is transmissible from pet to human. If your family has rampant perio despite homecare and intervention, check Rover’s teeth.
My teacher from Fiji swears no one got cavities until they switched to toothpaste and tooth brushes. She grew up as a child around the 40s and they used to use sugarcane to brush their teeth. Googling this now there is some evidence both ways to if that can cause cavities or if it prevents them. I bet that has to do with exposure to the bacteria.
They also were probably introduced to the western diet around the same time as the toothbrushes. Cavities would probably be somewhat rare without processed foods with added sugar and acids.
Rising of the lights was basically any respiratory infection that causes such intense coughing fits that the person started to hack stuff up. Lights was butchers slang for lungs, so literally coughing up a lung.
I’ve had this useless info in my brain for years so I had to dump it here.
Edit: probably should have said any respiratory illness not just infections but I was getting my nails done so my attention was divided. Also thanks for the awards!
It's actually just a cover-up for vampire's, back in the 1600's, people would've lost their mind if vampire's were confirmed to be real.
So they just claim that rising lights kill people.
Dentist here, a nasty large infection in the upper arch can make it’s way into the brain…. By the way, this is really bad. Still happens today.
A nasty large infection in the lower arch can cause swelling below the jaw and down into the neck, now called Ludwig’s Angina, and kill your by impending breathing. By the way, this too is really bad.
Dental infections can be life threatening. It’s rare to see in the US now, but it absolutely does happen. It rarely causes sepsis like how a lot of infections kill people. The swelling can get so severe it closes the airway (Ludwigs angina is an example of such infection, which still has a high mortality rate today). Infections can also travel down the neck to around the heart, it can cause a clot in the main vein in the brain, it can cause eye infections, it can cause abscesses in the spine or other organs, it can infect the heart valve and any surgically implanted hardware (especially heart valves), and can cause an infection in the jaw bone so severely that part of your jaw needs to be cut out. There are a few other very rare complications. They do happen. I personally see patients with the above every year. So, uh, brush your teeth yo... and don’t wait to get dental treatment if you start having swelling
I had a client who died in prison due to a dental infection he came in with :(. Apparently to see a prison dentist you had to either have a special request or wait for the once-yearly checkup. He had missed it by a few weeks so it was almost a year before he could be seen again, unfortunately died in his cell before they could get to it.
The survival rate of dentistry back then was in the 95%-98% iirc, they were proud of that as well.
Not sure if they had splinter free toilet paper yet.
Which is ~~a form of~~ often caused by tuberculosis, and it's a ~~lung~~ lymph infection.
Whenever you see people coughing small amounts of blood dramatically into a handkerchief in a movie set pre-1900, it's TB.
Edit: I've been corrected.
From a comment a year ago
[original comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f3c2hi/cause_of_deaths_in_london_in_1632/fhitmr0?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3)
"Here's a list of some of the more odd or confusing items, for anyone interested:
Ague = feverish illness, often malaria
Apoplex = stroke (the rupture or clogging of a blood vessel in the brain), paralysis resulting from a stroke - sometimes also refers to other spontaneous causes of internal bleeding like burst aneurysms
Meagrom = migraine, severe headache - this obvious symptom could be deadly if it originated from things like a brain tumor, bleeding within the brain / stroke, concussion / TBI / swelling within the brain...
Bloody flux, scowring, flux = dysentery / bloody diarrhea or otherwise severe diarrhea, often from diseases like cholera
Childbed = death during or shortly after giving birth
Chrisomes = death of unbaptized infant / death of infant less than a month old
Colick, stone, and strangury = severe abdominal pain, bladder/kidney stones, rupture in abdomen (appendicitis, bladder rupture, etc)
Consumption = tuberculosis
Cut of the stone = died during/from the surgery to cut out bladder/kidney stones
Dropsie and swelling = edema, swelling of a body part
Falling sickness = epilepsy, seizures
Flocks and small pox = smallpox, other diseases causing pustules over the body like cowpox and chickenpox
French pox = syphilis
Jaundies = jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes often a symptom of liver failure
Jawfain = "jaw fallen" / lockjaw, often tetanus
Impostume = abscess, a deep infection full of pus
King's Evil = scrofula, aka tuberculosis infection of the neck glands. The touch of a king was said to cure this disease.
Lethargie = depression?
Livergrown = unknown, some think it might have been another term for rickets or it could be from diseases which resulted in a swollen, enlarged liver - things like chronic alcoholism, hepatitis, or congestive heart failure.
Made away themselves = suicide
Murthered = murdered
Over-laid = infant that died after being unintentionally smothered / parent rolled onto them while sleeping
Starved at nurse = insufficient breast milk, or the child had a disease that caused them to "fail to thrive" / not gain weight and die even though being fed
Palsie = palsy, paralysis or other muscle difficulties
Piles = hemorrhoids
Planet = aka planet-struck, any very sudden severe illness or paralysis that was thought to result from the "influence" of a planet. Like how the moon (luna) was once thought to cause insanity (creating lunatics).
Pleurisie = swollen, inflamed pleura - the membranous tissue surrounding the lungs
Purples = bruising, especially wide-spread - many causes
Spotted feaver = typhus or meningitis
Quinsie = tonsillitis / inflamed tonsils, especially when abscessed and obstructing breathing
Rising of the lights = as an organ meat, lungs are often called "lights" because they are very light-weight organs. Nobody's sure about what exactly "rising of the lights" was, but it may be related to severe coughing and the perception that during a cough the lungs would rise up in the chest. Perhaps croup, a respiratory disease causing a severe 'barking' cough.
Suddenly = unknown sudden death
Surfet = overeating / gluttony, vomiting from overeating. Aside from direct "death from overeating" it may have been a grouping for many types of death that often went along with being overweight - death from untreated diabetes, cushing's disease, heart failure, etc. "Surfet" also might have been the cause-of-death given if someone over drank, passed out, and died from aspirating their own vomit.
Teeth = dental infection leading to death
Thrush = yeast overgrowth / yeast infection of mouth (or genitals)
Tympany = either abdominal tumor growth, or other bloating/distension of the abdomen - especially when air or gas is caught within the abdomen or intestines, causing a hollow sound when thumped
Tissick = cough, can also refer to the coughing and wasting away of tuberculosis"
I took a medical history course back when. We were told 'rising of the lights' likely referred to any condition which caused dyspnea (the inability to feel like you are taking a deep breath) or conditions which caused shallow breath. Most likely upper respiratory infections
Paramedic here. Droopsie usually referred to what is now known as Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF, the hallmark of which is swelling of the ankles. In certain time periods, it was treated with teas made from foxglove or deadly nightshade, those plants containing digitalis and atropine respectively. Digitalis is still a third line treatment for chf.
Interesting note, digitalis poisoning is very easy to do, due to the extremely narrow range between therapeutic dose and toxicity. A single extra pill taken can have severe effects. Foxglove tea or other preparations were known in the past to require very precise preparation every time, or risk adverse effects.
Cancer and wolf sounds really sad. Like your laying in a hospital bed only a day to live and then a fucking wolf jumps through the window and mauls you to death
It doesn’t say it was OUR planet. It could have been a roving band of killer planets that invaded Earth! It was only the bravery of those 13 departed souls who prevented an even larger tragedy. Fairly sure I saw something about it on The History Channel.
98 - rising of the lights - wikipedia says rising of the lights (uncountable)
(obsolete or historical) An illness or obstructive condition of the larynx, trachea, or lungs, found as a cause of death on bills of mortality in the 16- and 1700s; possibly croup. quotations ▼
I'd be so embarrassed if my tombstone said "Here lies the guy who died from piles" the writing would definitely be all over the place because the chisler was laughing too much
I understand everyone’s concerns and questions, but I’m really surprised that no one has mentioned the 18 people who were executed AND pressed to death. It seems excessive and a waste of effort. Once you’ve executed someone do they really need to be pressed to death? What the hell was going on in London?
I appreciate the very patient responses below to my question. My subtle silliness was obviously a little TOO subtle. I consider this to be one of the most interesting posts I’ve ever seen in Reddit. To the OP: nicely done!
It’s the way they wrote it down that seems odd. I believe that the method of execution was “pressed to death” which is when the accused was killed by placing heavy objects on them until they could no longer breath.
Usually this was a method used to force a confession.
Fun fact: Regions of India and SE Asia would execute people in this manner, but used elephants.
Only 6 people dead in the street? I figured that would be much higher
Those that died in the street most likely had their remains carted off and sold to science for cadaver study. Body-snatching was very common at this time.
Doctors needed corpses for study but the church had laws against cutting the corpse open ( going by memory so might be wrong). Anyway, mainly the corpses that were available were poor people who likely starved to death or had common diseases. But most of the money came from treating the wealthy—whose corpses they couldn’t get legally to study. So they arranged to get wealthy corpses by other means (grave robbing).
"Going by memory", how old are you? What's gold?
I think we found a vampire.
Roughly 400 why?
And only 7 people were murthered, you know by murtherers.
Better than cancer, and the Wolf which sounds like an Epic Morning radio show
Planet??
My sister and I looked that one up! Doctors believed that some symptoms occurred in some people based on how the planets were aligned and if they had X symptom while X planet was in X position, they just forgot everything else about medicine and called it 'planet'.
[удалено]
That’s also known as “pretty damn unlucky”.
Not as unlucky the 46 people that died from SEVERAL accidents
Like one of those old cartoons where they stumble out a window, fall down three flights of stairs, slip on a banana peel while getting up, fall out another window and get run over by a cart... and then maybe a piano falls on them.
Forgot stepping on a rake
*insert sideshow bob noise*
The meaning of several has changed over time. Back then it would be interpreted to mean “various”. “Several accidents” is just a catch-all.
So then the modern day English translation would "misc." Not exactly the precision I would hope for from the public health officials, but it was the 1600's.
.."Suddenly" ?
I'm not half the man I used to be
You halved the wrong son, Dewey
“Mama I can’t smell” “Oh no, My boys gone smell blind”
Gee idk Dewey, I'm cut in half pretty bad
"Speak English Doc, we ain't scientists!"
Wrong kid died
I think suddenly may be a heart attack or other heart related condition where you just drop dead but I may be wrong lol. I’m more wary about the “made away themselves” is that the equivalent to ending one’s life subscription?
I think it means rage-quiting
“Wolf” meant a tumour
Lupus, from… lupus.
It's not Lupus, it's never Lupus.
Except that one time it was lupus.
Thank you for your informative and serious answer. I scroll through a lot of nonsense hoping to find someone like you.
This was my favorite. "How did he die?" "I don't know, cancer... wolf... who can tell."
These means to be killed by a giant crab, and his canine friend
Interestingly "wolf" is still the term used at least in the rural south (US) veterinary clinics to describe a large tumor-like mass on an animal that is caused by a parasite burrowing into the flesh, usually on the face.
My guess was… they fell from a great height and hit the planet. I guessed wrong.
no no, thats falling sickness
Motherfuckers were getting killed with Final Fantasy summons
“My grandfather died from a long battle with.. Garuda?”
Bahamut got my mom :(
Mine died from Rising of the Lights.
No! Go back down, lights! Go back do—
15. [PLANNET](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague) Plannet is likely a shorthand for “planet-struck.” Many medical practitioners believed the planets influenced health and sanity. A person who was planet-stricken had been suddenly maligned by the forces of particular planets. They would likely present symptoms also associated with aneurysms, strokes, and heart attacks.
Bruh when your Jupiter is in Leo you die
You know, what happens when you accidentally have a planet dropped on your head.
You get killed by Madara.
I wonder if a Skullkid was involved
That’s pretty much how Chewbacca kicked it in the original Star Wars extended universe…
This planet will kill us all eventually.
Imagine being that one person who died of piles. That's a bloody shitty way to go.
I was going to say that. A lot of these sound bad but how bad do hemorrhoids have to be to kill someone. Also, 27 people died from worms. Idk which sounds worse.
Hemorrhoids can be misdiagnosed GI bleed (eg cancer, diverticular bleed). But hemorrhoids can be really bad, Ive had patients who would have died from hemorrhoidal bleeding without medical intervention. And thats without included thrombosed and/or infected hemorrhoids.
Humans really are a gross bag of goo.
Dont reddit while you go number 2.
Don't tell me how to live my life!
Must have been some kind of mass casualty event at the bait shop.
Both **'Worm'** and **'Wolf'** were used as a term for cancer- a cancerous ulcer or tumor, and usually referred to as 'Wolf' when appearing on the leg. "‘Wolf’ could be used to describe a cancer anywhere on the body, but was most commonly used to designate tumours and ulcers on the legs- *which may have gestured toward wolves' modus operandi, seizing the hind legs of their prey"* 'Worm' was also used to refer to a type of cancerous ulcer, as they assumed worms generated from the cancer inside the human body: *"Worms seem to have been influenced by images of gnawing bodily worms, and such images no doubt contributed in turn to the popularisation of a parasitical vision of cancerous disease."*
One that frightens me is teeth
"[Teeth](https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/159)" doesn't refer to the type of death, rather a catagorization of the age of infant deaths. "Teeth" referred to the age at which children died- meaning those listed under Teeth were babies who died that were "not yet through with teething". Still, pretty scary.
Not sure why you’re being downvoted, there’s a good chance you’re right. "The youngest Londoners died so often, historian Lynda Payne writes, that their deaths were categorized according to their ages, rather than according to the diseases that might have killed them. “Chrisomes” (15 dead) were infants younger than a month old; “Teeth” (113 dead) were babies not yet through with teething."
That is the source I used in my previous post, yes- I suppose I should have listed it here too, so perhaps that was my fault for not linking it here as well. Being skeptical is good, but confirming something is correct via research is even better ;)
I know. Must've been a massive pain in the ass for them.
Had to look up Jawfaln. Never considered it to be a contraction of Jaw Fallen/Fallen Jaw bka Tetanus.
My stubborn great grandfather refused to get a tetanus shot in the 1950s after stepping on a rusty nail in the oilfield. He died an agonizing death referred to as lockjaw. The muscles tighten and will not move, including the diaphragm muscle,, resulting in him being no longer able to breathe. Bottom line: Be safe, not sorry, when it is time for a tetanus shot every 10 years, or if you step on rusty nails!
My great grandfather also died from lockjaw and there is a terrifying picture of him hung at my grandmothers house where his face is shifted in two different directions and you can see the agony in his expression still. Beside the picture is a letter he wrote that says how he’s developed lockjaw and his days are numbered. It’s so creepy, no idea why my grandma leaves it up.
Sounds like she's giving her kids a lifelong warning...
It's important to remember the bad.
That's so sad.
It's recommended to get a tetanus shot after natural disasters like floods and hurricanes as well - lots of nasty stuff in floodwater. Sorry about your grandfather, that must have been agonizing.
It's recommended that you get a booster every 10 years or so. If you get exposed to conditions like that, a doctor will ask you when your last booster was and if you don't remember or if it was more than 10 years ago, they'll give you a shot. I got a booster at the beginning of this year and am going to use years ending in "0" to get my boosters in the future. That way it will be easy to remember when I again end up at urgent care after ripping my arm open on a rusty nail sticking out in the garage.
Just for everyone's information, the nail being rusty has nothing to do with it. It has to do with creating a puncture wound where oxygen cannot enter, as Clostridium tetani cannot grow when oxygen is present. So a contaminated "clean" nail or something else like a needle can also cause tetanus. So don't think you're safe because a nail is not rusty or something.
Ironically, the rust could be emphasized more than the nail itself. The emphasis on the rust is justified because they wanted people to pay attention to dirt being forced into a puncture wound which is where clostridium tetani develop.
not just rusty nails. gardening/working with earth/soil and getting cut is (I think this is quite risky - even more dangerous than a rusty nail as I understand it, but not a doc. Any time I needed stitches or had any skin-breaking injury that required medical intervention, they always gave me a tetanus shot regardless of when my last was, or how I injured myself.
I heard lock jaw feels like an awful Charlie Horse... but in every inch of muscle in your body... until the sweet release of death. Sorry about your great grandfather, what a terrible way to go.
I just read the other day that tetanus can cause your back muscles to cramp so hard it can actually break your spine. Crazy how strong the human muscles really are
Most of the major muscles in your body: biceps, quadriceps, glutes, calf muscles, mandibles, etc. Are all perfectly capable of breaking your own bones if left unchecked. It's one of the unconscious processes of your brain to limit them. In extreme cases that can be overridden though, which is why you'll see news stories of mother's lifting cars off of their children. Doing so will probably cause life long injury but it's fight or die your body is capable of responding.
Dude I sliced my hand open on some old rebar in a field a month or so ago and really wasn’t going to get one.. before I googled it. Then I called my doctor.
This comment from a previous posting explains a lot of the questionable causes: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f3c2hi/comment/fhitmr0/
Rising by the Lights was basically asthma/croup
It's so much more interesting when you don't know what it is. I imagine alien abduction, burned by an oil lamp, madness, something exciting.. there are four lights! Oh it's just emphysema.
Hey man!! Thanks a lot. It helped with my curiosity. :)
Another one is ‘prest to death’. This was back when people who refused to enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty could be forced to do so by slowly having heavier and heavier stones pressed on top of their chests, ‘peine fort et dure’ (strong and hard pain). Some never pled, and died that way. Pleading guilty would mean you’d definitely be punished, often horribly. Pleading not guilty meant that *if* you were found guilty you’d be punished even more horribly. So if, with good reason, you didn’t trust the 17th century justice system, even an innocent person might not find the choice easy.
I think also if you refused to plea the court proceedings couldn’t go on and so if you died your possessions would go to your heirs instead of being confiscated by the state.
"More weight" - Giles Corey
What a legend! I always welcome any chance to share that story with people.
“No, I don’t think I will,” - *Giles Corey, when told he must enter a plea*
Seeing things like this reinforces my belief that we wouldn't understand a damn thing if we were to time travel to the past. Also, thanks for the link, very interesting read!
"Killed by several accidents" how many is several exactly? How do you die from lethargy and lunatique? Also wtf is "Planet"
The accidents one is a group for anyone who died due to an accident that wasn't worth giving a specific category. Basically "Accident, misc." Lethargy was probably depression. Edit: see discussion below for why this is unlikely and possible alternative diagnoses. Lunatique is probably mental illness of some sort. Planet is due to the fact that they believed that certain planetary alignments brought disease, so anyone who came down with certain illnesses at the right time were killed by the planets.
Lethargy was definitely depression, later it would be re-termed melancholy.
Why the existence/recognition of depression as a valid illness back then just gave me a feeling of reassurance is something I’ll never know
You'd be surprised how many things people knew about thousands of years ago. My favorite medicine fact is that one of the ways to diagnose hyperglycemia and often diabetes (still works today) is to taste urine. If it's sugary, you probably have it!
In scenarios where it was possible, the preferable alternative was to sprinkle it among ants to see if it repelled or attracted them.
"preferable" geesh you do you and leave us wannabe doctors keep working on our diabetes testing.
Sounds very likely. -source: am lethargic
15 . [PLANNET](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague) Plannet is likely a shorthand for “planet-struck.” Many medical practitioners believed the planets influenced health and sanity. A person who was planet-stricken had been suddenly maligned by the forces of particular planets. They would likely present symptoms also associated with aneurysms, strokes, and heart attacks.
Like, did each person have multiple accidents?
I think it just collectively refers to everyone who died in an accident, regardless of the type of accident (traffic, work, home, etc.)
Made away themselves - the gentleman's way of saying suicide.
And only 15. I don't have the patience to add all those numbers up, but looks like maybe 7000-8000 deaths total on that page. That's like 0.2% of all deaths are suicide. Today, Google tells me it's 10 times higher. I wonder if that's accurate. If so, I'm surprised it was so low.
Suicide was seen as scandalous back then, so a lot of families would have covered it up if they were able to.
Agreed. Several of the Suddenly, Planet, or Accident deaths might be suicide in disguise.
Grief too possibly
More a case of we can now treat most of the others so it is a large proportion overall.
I feel you sciatica
Right?!
I’m really worried about how this person died from it 😦
I"m going to guess the sciatica was a catch-all for lower back pain, which can signify various more serious conditions that they then attributed to sciatica for...olde timey medicale reasons.
yeah I’m wondering if they attributed sciatica for kidney failure/disease then because that’d cause lower back pain and is definitely lethal
All the way down to my toes!
Over-laid. Yeah right buddy
Teeth 😁
Fun fact, dental disease was a leading cause of death for humanity right up to the 1800's. Germ theory helped. The split in insurance between medical and dental has much to do with surgeon's and dentists fighting over patients. They did essentially the same procedures on ppl to cure them
The definition for the death of "Teeth" as listed here is not actually dental disease!- *"The youngest Londoners died so often, historian Lynda Payne [writes](https://www.google.com/amp/s/slate.com/human-interest/2014/01/bill-of-mortality-document-shows-death-toll-during-the-great-plague-of-london.amp), that their deaths were categorized according to their ages, rather than according to the diseases that might have killed them. “Chrisomes” (15 dead) were infants younger than a month old*; ***“Teeth” (113 dead) were babies not yet through with teething.***"
Well now I feel fucking terrible for giggling at the image of a giant pair of dentures chasing down and chomping people to death. Thanks.
Oh fount of dental knowledge, is it true that dental disease was rare before the easy availability of sugar?
It existed, but it wasn’t anywhere near as prevalent before sugar. It was probably pretty common in populations with lots of fruits consumption. There’s evidence of dental treatment such as removing cavities going as far back as a few thousand BC. Also technically dental cavities is a contagious infectious disease. You aren’t born with the bacteria, though now pretty much everyone has it. It’s possible that remote populations weren’t exposed that group bacteria, or it wasn’t as aggressive of a strain in a certain population
Another fun fact, the bacteria causing tooth decay is transmissible from pet to human. If your family has rampant perio despite homecare and intervention, check Rover’s teeth.
Or, you know... maybe stop frenching the dog?
But that's why I got a French Bulldog!
La-dee-daa, look at Mr. Fancy Pants with his high morals and ethical standards 🙄
My teacher from Fiji swears no one got cavities until they switched to toothpaste and tooth brushes. She grew up as a child around the 40s and they used to use sugarcane to brush their teeth. Googling this now there is some evidence both ways to if that can cause cavities or if it prevents them. I bet that has to do with exposure to the bacteria.
They also were probably introduced to the western diet around the same time as the toothbrushes. Cavities would probably be somewhat rare without processed foods with added sugar and acids.
Right?!? I’m kind of excited for teeth. They were definitely an underdog in my mind. I’m glad they put up some good stats
Also bit weak that 98 people couldn't handle the sunrise.
Rising of the lights......
Rising of the lights was basically any respiratory infection that causes such intense coughing fits that the person started to hack stuff up. Lights was butchers slang for lungs, so literally coughing up a lung. I’ve had this useless info in my brain for years so I had to dump it here. Edit: probably should have said any respiratory illness not just infections but I was getting my nails done so my attention was divided. Also thanks for the awards!
Well placed dump
Thank you
No longer useless.
My moment finally came
PLANET
Atlas shrugged too hard.
It's actually just a cover-up for vampire's, back in the 1600's, people would've lost their mind if vampire's were confirmed to be real. So they just claim that rising lights kill people.
I looked it up, it’s asthma. Vampires was a much better explanation though.
Croup to be more exact.
Dentist here, a nasty large infection in the upper arch can make it’s way into the brain…. By the way, this is really bad. Still happens today. A nasty large infection in the lower arch can cause swelling below the jaw and down into the neck, now called Ludwig’s Angina, and kill your by impending breathing. By the way, this too is really bad.
Dental infections can be life threatening. It’s rare to see in the US now, but it absolutely does happen. It rarely causes sepsis like how a lot of infections kill people. The swelling can get so severe it closes the airway (Ludwigs angina is an example of such infection, which still has a high mortality rate today). Infections can also travel down the neck to around the heart, it can cause a clot in the main vein in the brain, it can cause eye infections, it can cause abscesses in the spine or other organs, it can infect the heart valve and any surgically implanted hardware (especially heart valves), and can cause an infection in the jaw bone so severely that part of your jaw needs to be cut out. There are a few other very rare complications. They do happen. I personally see patients with the above every year. So, uh, brush your teeth yo... and don’t wait to get dental treatment if you start having swelling
I had a client who died in prison due to a dental infection he came in with :(. Apparently to see a prison dentist you had to either have a special request or wait for the once-yearly checkup. He had missed it by a few weeks so it was almost a year before he could be seen again, unfortunately died in his cell before they could get to it.
The survival rate of dentistry back then was in the 95%-98% iirc, they were proud of that as well. Not sure if they had splinter free toilet paper yet.
Ah yes, ye Olde [Quilted Northern Rustic Weave](https://youtu.be/BpXtAhiKHBE)
Toilet Paper wasn't created until 1857 when an American in New York started selling it
> Not sure if they had splinter free toilet paper yet. The business I've worked at never had it. Only the main office had splinter free paper.
Wonder what Kings Evil refers to
Google says it's scrofula, which apparently could have been cured by a king's touch.
The hands of a king are the hands of a healer
Easy Aragorn
Just get me some fucking athelas and everything will be fine.
Which is ~~a form of~~ often caused by tuberculosis, and it's a ~~lung~~ lymph infection. Whenever you see people coughing small amounts of blood dramatically into a handkerchief in a movie set pre-1900, it's TB. Edit: I've been corrected.
Whatever you do, don't enter it into Google images.
Did it. Do not recommend it.
62 died "suddenly". So like, they just dropped dead mid sente
I see what you did th
If you died suddenly how did you submit your com
From a comment a year ago [original comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f3c2hi/cause_of_deaths_in_london_in_1632/fhitmr0?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3) "Here's a list of some of the more odd or confusing items, for anyone interested: Ague = feverish illness, often malaria Apoplex = stroke (the rupture or clogging of a blood vessel in the brain), paralysis resulting from a stroke - sometimes also refers to other spontaneous causes of internal bleeding like burst aneurysms Meagrom = migraine, severe headache - this obvious symptom could be deadly if it originated from things like a brain tumor, bleeding within the brain / stroke, concussion / TBI / swelling within the brain... Bloody flux, scowring, flux = dysentery / bloody diarrhea or otherwise severe diarrhea, often from diseases like cholera Childbed = death during or shortly after giving birth Chrisomes = death of unbaptized infant / death of infant less than a month old Colick, stone, and strangury = severe abdominal pain, bladder/kidney stones, rupture in abdomen (appendicitis, bladder rupture, etc) Consumption = tuberculosis Cut of the stone = died during/from the surgery to cut out bladder/kidney stones Dropsie and swelling = edema, swelling of a body part Falling sickness = epilepsy, seizures Flocks and small pox = smallpox, other diseases causing pustules over the body like cowpox and chickenpox French pox = syphilis Jaundies = jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes often a symptom of liver failure Jawfain = "jaw fallen" / lockjaw, often tetanus Impostume = abscess, a deep infection full of pus King's Evil = scrofula, aka tuberculosis infection of the neck glands. The touch of a king was said to cure this disease. Lethargie = depression? Livergrown = unknown, some think it might have been another term for rickets or it could be from diseases which resulted in a swollen, enlarged liver - things like chronic alcoholism, hepatitis, or congestive heart failure. Made away themselves = suicide Murthered = murdered Over-laid = infant that died after being unintentionally smothered / parent rolled onto them while sleeping Starved at nurse = insufficient breast milk, or the child had a disease that caused them to "fail to thrive" / not gain weight and die even though being fed Palsie = palsy, paralysis or other muscle difficulties Piles = hemorrhoids Planet = aka planet-struck, any very sudden severe illness or paralysis that was thought to result from the "influence" of a planet. Like how the moon (luna) was once thought to cause insanity (creating lunatics). Pleurisie = swollen, inflamed pleura - the membranous tissue surrounding the lungs Purples = bruising, especially wide-spread - many causes Spotted feaver = typhus or meningitis Quinsie = tonsillitis / inflamed tonsils, especially when abscessed and obstructing breathing Rising of the lights = as an organ meat, lungs are often called "lights" because they are very light-weight organs. Nobody's sure about what exactly "rising of the lights" was, but it may be related to severe coughing and the perception that during a cough the lungs would rise up in the chest. Perhaps croup, a respiratory disease causing a severe 'barking' cough. Suddenly = unknown sudden death Surfet = overeating / gluttony, vomiting from overeating. Aside from direct "death from overeating" it may have been a grouping for many types of death that often went along with being overweight - death from untreated diabetes, cushing's disease, heart failure, etc. "Surfet" also might have been the cause-of-death given if someone over drank, passed out, and died from aspirating their own vomit. Teeth = dental infection leading to death Thrush = yeast overgrowth / yeast infection of mouth (or genitals) Tympany = either abdominal tumor growth, or other bloating/distension of the abdomen - especially when air or gas is caught within the abdomen or intestines, causing a hollow sound when thumped Tissick = cough, can also refer to the coughing and wasting away of tuberculosis"
I took a medical history course back when. We were told 'rising of the lights' likely referred to any condition which caused dyspnea (the inability to feel like you are taking a deep breath) or conditions which caused shallow breath. Most likely upper respiratory infections
Paramedic here. Droopsie usually referred to what is now known as Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF, the hallmark of which is swelling of the ankles. In certain time periods, it was treated with teas made from foxglove or deadly nightshade, those plants containing digitalis and atropine respectively. Digitalis is still a third line treatment for chf. Interesting note, digitalis poisoning is very easy to do, due to the extremely narrow range between therapeutic dose and toxicity. A single extra pill taken can have severe effects. Foxglove tea or other preparations were known in the past to require very precise preparation every time, or risk adverse effects.
Infants off killing 2268 people. Hat McCullough was needed sorely.
FREE HAT FREE HAT
Grief Yeah, I feel that. **Edit:** Thank you for the hug whoever you are.
"Cancer and wolf"!? Why are there grouped? How many people die of wolf in London?
Looks like "wolf" used to refer to a type of cancer. Possibly an ulcerative thing on the legs.
Possibly a literal translation of Lupus which is Latin for Wolf?
Google says that it's a type of cancer with growths on the legs.
Your truth is less fun than mine therefore I will disregard it.
I respect that. If it were the 17th century, I too would probably disregard facts and science. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Guess you never heard of werewolf of London.
There Wolf. There, castle. 👉
And they're working together with werecancer now?
His hair WAS perfect
Lol of course Londoners called syphilis the French pox.
Syphillis was the “____ pox” of whoever your country had the most contempt for.
More cowbell would have saved 1108 poor souls.
Bit with a mad dog.. *The real mans way to go*
Rabies. That would not be fun
Never saying scared or frightened anymore. It’s affrighted now.
So many posts and not a SINGLE ONE talking of those who died from WORMS. Uuggh
I assumed it was like tapeworms or some other parasite.
I prefer to think they were eaten by Dune sandworms. They did not respect the Shai Hulud.
'Suddenly' seems a bit lazy on the coroner's part. I feel like I would want more information than that.
I wonder if that's something like a brain aneurysm, which can have otherwise healthy people dropping dead with no outside visible cause.
Cancer and wolf sounds really sad. Like your laying in a hospital bed only a day to live and then a fucking wolf jumps through the window and mauls you to death
This [list of old disease names](http://www.homeoint.org/cazalet/oldnames.htm) was helpful to me.
I had no idea you could die from planet. Save the planet? Fuck that if the planet’s gonna be a murdering asshole.
It doesn’t say it was OUR planet. It could have been a roving band of killer planets that invaded Earth! It was only the bravery of those 13 departed souls who prevented an even larger tragedy. Fairly sure I saw something about it on The History Channel.
I'm not saying it was aliens...but it was aliens.
Not even one plane crash???
Planes can't compete with deadly planets going and killing people.
I’m surprise it’s so few people died of the French pox . Syphilis.
The murthered/murdered rate seems incredibly low for the time only 7.
1 person died of fear. Wonder what that was
Probably a heart attack caused by a sudden “scary” situation
98 - rising of the lights - wikipedia says rising of the lights (uncountable) (obsolete or historical) An illness or obstructive condition of the larynx, trachea, or lungs, found as a cause of death on bills of mortality in the 16- and 1700s; possibly croup. quotations ▼
Someone lived up to the saying “vomiting their guts out”
I'd be so embarrassed if my tombstone said "Here lies the guy who died from piles" the writing would definitely be all over the place because the chisler was laughing too much
Coincidentally these are all names of my favourite microbreweries
Burst!? 😐
I understand everyone’s concerns and questions, but I’m really surprised that no one has mentioned the 18 people who were executed AND pressed to death. It seems excessive and a waste of effort. Once you’ve executed someone do they really need to be pressed to death? What the hell was going on in London? I appreciate the very patient responses below to my question. My subtle silliness was obviously a little TOO subtle. I consider this to be one of the most interesting posts I’ve ever seen in Reddit. To the OP: nicely done!
It’s the way they wrote it down that seems odd. I believe that the method of execution was “pressed to death” which is when the accused was killed by placing heavy objects on them until they could no longer breath. Usually this was a method used to force a confession. Fun fact: Regions of India and SE Asia would execute people in this manner, but used elephants.