Tissick Cause of Death: A Mysterious Disease of the Past

Tissick is a term that was used in the 17th and 18th centuries to describe a fatal disease characterized by a cough and wheezing. It is now considered an obsolete word, but it was once a common cause of death in London and other parts of Europe. What was tissick, and what did it do to its victims? In this article, we will explore the history and possible explanations of this mysterious disease.

What is Tissick?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, tissick is a corruption of phthisis, a Greek word that means “wasting away” or “consumption”. Phthisis was also used to refer to tuberculosis, a bacterial infection that affects the lungs and other organs. However, tissick may not have been the same as tuberculosis, as it was often distinguished from it in the historical records.

Tissick was recorded as a cause of death in the Bills of Mortality, which were weekly publications that listed the number and causes of deaths in London parishes. The Bills of Mortality were first issued in 1592, and continued until 1836. They provide a valuable source of information about the health and mortality of Londoners during this period.

According to the Bills of Mortality, tissick was responsible for 1,152 deaths in London between December 20, 1664 and December 19, 1665. This was the year of the Great Plague, which killed about a quarter of the city’s population. Tissick was also listed as a cause of death in other years, such as 1632, when it killed 216 people.

What are the Symptoms of Tissick?

The main symptom of tissick was a cough, which could be dry or productive. The cough could also be accompanied by wheezing, difficulty breathing, or a choking sensation. Some sources also mention fever, night sweats, weight loss, and blood in the sputum as possible signs of tissick.

The duration and severity of tissick varied from person to person. Some people may have suffered from chronic tissick for years, while others may have died within weeks or months. Tissick could also affect people of different ages and genders, although it seems to have been more common among children and young adults.

What are the Possible Causes of Tissick?

The exact cause of tissick is unknown, but there are several theories that have been proposed by historians and medical experts. Some of these theories are:

Tissick was a form of asthma or bronchitis, aggravated by the poor air quality and living conditions in London. Asthma and bronchitis are chronic inflammatory diseases that affect the airways and cause coughing and wheezing. They can also be triggered or worsened by environmental factors such as pollution, smoke, dust, allergens, or cold weather.

Tissick was a manifestation of scurvy or rickets, caused by vitamin deficiency or malnutrition. Scurvy is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, which leads to bleeding gums, skin lesions, joint pain, and anemia. Rickets is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D, which leads to softening and deformity of the bones. Both diseases can affect the respiratory system and cause coughing and wheezing.

Tissick was a complication of measles or whooping cough, which were common childhood infections in the past. Measles is a viral infection that causes fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes severe bouts of coughing followed by a whooping sound. Both infections can damage the lungs and cause chronic respiratory problems.

Tissick was a form of lung cancer or another malignant tumor that affected the lungs or the throat. Lung cancer is a disease that occurs when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the lung tissue. It can cause symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, and hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Other tumors that could affect the respiratory system include laryngeal cancer (cancer of the voice box), thyroid cancer (cancer of the thyroid gland), or esophageal cancer (cancer of the food pipe).

Conclusion

Tissick was a mysterious disease that killed many people in London and other parts of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was characterized by a cough and wheezing that could be fatal. The exact cause of tissick is unknown, but it may have been related to asthma, bronchitis, scurvy, rickets, measles, whooping cough, lung cancer, or another condition that affected the respiratory system. Tissick is now an obsolete term that has been replaced by more specific diagnoses based on modern medical knowledge.

Doms Desk

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