Excerpt:
This site covers
1. Archaic medical terminology
2. Terms that can be difficult to understand from a brief entry in a modern dictionary
3. Descriptions of the more common causes of death in the past
4. A few terms that I thought would be easy to find a definition for, but someone sent a query, so maybe they are difficult after all?
5. Some folk and slang terms
6. Symbols, Abbreviations & Qualifications
7. Some terms that have become everyday language, but have a different meaning or slant when used by doctors or had a different meaning in the past
e.g. Abortion, which has come to mean induced termination of pregnancy, but doctors retain the meaning of a natural but premature ending to pregnancy (miscarriage)
8. Some terms in common use, that many non-medical people do not understand precisely what they mean e.g. Heart Attack, prognosis
9. Terms I have been unable to define, in the hope that someone out there does know
10. I could include eponymous conditions, e.g. if you want a potted biography of Alzheimer then contact me
11. Text in square brackets and bold red type e.g. [ty'sis] is a guide to pronunciation
Annotation:
This site acts as a guide to obscure and outdated medical terminology and information. Historians of early modern medicine may find this site useful, as well as those conducting genealogical research. The main feature of the site is its alphabetical index of archaic medical terms, such as those that might, for example, be found in eighteenth century medical records or diaries. Additionally, the site offers several other sections on topics ranging from epidemics, to poisoning, to symbols and abbreviations, and others. The author of the sight will also field email inquiries if the necessary information is missing.