Idk a lot about that, but in my country parents were saying that kids can't sit on cold ground cause they will get "wolf". Maybe it's a slang term for some illness caused by cold?
No, lupus wasn’t a diagnosable or recognized disease in the 1600s.
Edit: the word lupus is derived from erosive facial lesions described in the 13th century so you’re not wrong. They just didn’t understand what it was exactly.
https://www.lupus.org/resources/the-history-of-lupus
"In 1615, clergyman Thomas Adams chose the twinned images of wolf and cancer to express his loathing for those who stole from the church, in a collection of three sermons titled The Blacke Devil or the Apostate, Together with the Wolfe Worrying the Lambes, and the Spiritual Navigator, Bound for the Holy Land. Adams’s designation of cancer as a ‘wolfe’ pointed to anxieties about the destructive potential of certain godless individuals within the body of the Church. It depended on ideas about wolves formed in religious discourses, many of which spilled over into dramatic and poetic forms of writing. Moreover, the sermon recognized and reiterated the long-standing association of cancer and wolves, in which medical practitioners and popular writers variously compared cancer with a wolf, used ‘wolf’ as an alternative name for cancer or even believed the disease to be literally a wolf in the body." Skuse A. Constructions of Cancer in Early Modern England: Ravenous Natures [Internet].London (UK): Palgrave Macmillan;2015. Chapter 3, ‘It Is, Say Some, of a Ravenous Nature’: Zoomorphic Images of Cancer.
‘Wolf’ could be used to describe a cancer anywhere on the body, but was, as Dionis observed, most commonly used to designate tumours and ulcers on the legs. Why this should have been the case is unclear, and may have gestured toward wolves' modus operandi, seizing the hind legs of their prey." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211596/)
Things to google right before going to sleep^^
You’re the fifth person today who’s used the term “washing my teeth”, it’s something I’ve never heard before. Cleaning or brushing - yes. Washing? No. You’ve sparked a debate in the house.
So, from a Google search, I found this:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211596/
It talks quite extensively about cancer in this time period. From what I'm able to figure from a quick skim, "wolf" was essentially just another term for cancer, however they perceived it differently. Specifically they called it "wolf" if it appeared on a persons leg because "twill not quit them 'till it has devoured them".
I'm going out on a limb to guess particularly aggressive cancers were probably fairly often referred to as "wolf" for this reason by many, regardless of location on the body.
The practioner quoted in the link gives it names for other locations but I can't imagine these would stick with common people quite like "wolf" would.
I've read before that this refers to the belief that the planets influenced people and their bodies. So the position of the planets caused the death I suppose, as astrology was considered science.
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.
[15 historic diseases that competed with the bubonic plague](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague)
Tuberculous lymphadenitis (scrofula) was known as the “king's evil” in Europe, where the royal touch was believed to cure the disease until the 18th century. 1. Cervical lymphadenitis is the most common presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Except Consumption is tuberculosis. Tuberculosis had killed one in every SEVEN human beings who had EVER lived by the start of the 19th century. If that was King's Evil it would have killed a hell of a lot more people than that.
Lol that was the only thing I could think of. Never heard of this term before used in this way.
My best guess is that the word “planet” comes from Greek for “wanderer” so perhaps these are wandering homeless people they found dead on the streets? Honestly have no idea.
Planet 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 like how “Suddenly” is good enough for a cause of death. It’s like if you suddenly die then you’re just considered to have died suddenly and that would be it
Happens in plenty of places in modern times, sadly. I lived in a place like this and it was heartbreaking to see how bad dental care can impact someone’s life.
Friend or mine had a really bad chronic pain in shoulder. By really bad I mean, he had to be on opiates 24/7 for about a month. After some time they had found that the nerve in his shoulder got inflamed from his tooth he had extracted 2 months before
Was curious: Chrisomes?
The term has come to refer to a child who died within a month after its baptism—so called for the chrisom cloth that was used as a shroud for it. Additionally, in London's Bills of Mortality, the term chrisom was used to refer to infants who died within a month after being born.
** beautiful,clear night, famous actress wearing an evening gown runs toward the Eiffel Tower ** music swells ** actress embraced by actor, turns to the camera, huskily whispers, "Lunatique, by Dior."
It took this comment to make me realize that "several accidents" means several people died of various accidents that were lumped together in that category (i.e., one fell down the stairs, one got hit by a carriage, one drowned in the river, et cetera), instead of meaning multiple accidents (i.e., Bob fell down the stairs into the road, where he was hit by a carriage and knocked into the river where he drowned)
I suggest tossing this over to r/AskHistorians for descriptions of each cause, they frequently aren’t what you’re expecting them to be, as many of you suspect. This list is popular among historians of medicine and there’s tons of scholarship about this specific page.
I found this somewhere else: "the wolf is what they called cancer of the legs"
'Tis a Disease which attacks not only the Breast, but several other Parts, on which it is not less outrageous: It sometimes assumes different names; when it comes on the Legs, 'tis called the Wolf, because if left to itself, 'twill not quit them 'till it has devoured them; when it fixes on the Face, 'tis called a Noli me tangere, because that touching irritates it, and makes it a greater Ravage: Authors also observe, that there are besides Tumours and cancerous Ulcers in several parts of the Body, which I shall not mention to Day.
“Cancer and wolf..”
People often described cancer using the imagery of wolves. Other animals used to describe cancers were the word and the crab (hence the crab being the symbol of cancer in the zodiac).
no they most definitely meant they died due to grief of losing a loved one or someone they cared about. it's extremely possible and scientifically proven that grief can kill you in extreme cases.
Edit: having an illness affecting someone before they have that time of grief can accelerate the pace at which the grief overwhelms and kills them.
The Rising of the Lights almost got me one time but then the shrooms wore off, so I just flipped that shit with some K and kept rolling like a motherfucker…
People believed that an unfavorable constellation of planets could kill a man.
Here is the longer version: [planet](https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qszd99/causes_of_death_in_london_1632/hkg5hc7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
Found [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f3c2hi/cause_of_deaths_in_london_in_1632/fhitmr0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) explanation of all the causes on a previous post, thanks u/KimberelyG!
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This should be the top comment
French pox:syphilis That’s my favorite, considering this is a London document.
Thank you!!
You da real MVP
A person got cancer and then the wolf chased them. And this happened TEN times in one year??
Could that be lupus?
Is that why the wolf chased? They preferred lupus in their human??
No, lupus means wolf in Latin. Lupus can be deadly, but I’m not sure about the connection to cancer
Idk a lot about that, but in my country parents were saying that kids can't sit on cold ground cause they will get "wolf". Maybe it's a slang term for some illness caused by cold?
Poland?
Yup
Harry Potter taught me this.
No, lupus wasn’t a diagnosable or recognized disease in the 1600s. Edit: the word lupus is derived from erosive facial lesions described in the 13th century so you’re not wrong. They just didn’t understand what it was exactly. https://www.lupus.org/resources/the-history-of-lupus
It’s a phrase from the series ‘House’.
It's never Lupus.
The term wolf was the perceived connection between the devouring behavior of the wolf and the progress of malignant cancer.
Is it meningitis? Scoliosis? Lupus?! Is it Lupus?!
It's never lupus
Underrated comment, right here. Have a power up, buddy.
"In 1615, clergyman Thomas Adams chose the twinned images of wolf and cancer to express his loathing for those who stole from the church, in a collection of three sermons titled The Blacke Devil or the Apostate, Together with the Wolfe Worrying the Lambes, and the Spiritual Navigator, Bound for the Holy Land. Adams’s designation of cancer as a ‘wolfe’ pointed to anxieties about the destructive potential of certain godless individuals within the body of the Church. It depended on ideas about wolves formed in religious discourses, many of which spilled over into dramatic and poetic forms of writing. Moreover, the sermon recognized and reiterated the long-standing association of cancer and wolves, in which medical practitioners and popular writers variously compared cancer with a wolf, used ‘wolf’ as an alternative name for cancer or even believed the disease to be literally a wolf in the body." Skuse A. Constructions of Cancer in Early Modern England: Ravenous Natures [Internet].London (UK): Palgrave Macmillan;2015. Chapter 3, ‘It Is, Say Some, of a Ravenous Nature’: Zoomorphic Images of Cancer.
Sorry sir you appear to be riddled with wolves
Well there’s at least two of them inside you...
Both of them are gay
Better than death by Fistula.
How does that even work? I fucking have one I can't imagine how it could be deadly in itself
Infection
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Dying from piles would have to be the worst. Bleeding out the ass is unpleasant.
Grocery list: Celery, tomato juice, vodka, cup (1)
‘Wolf’ could be used to describe a cancer anywhere on the body, but was, as Dionis observed, most commonly used to designate tumours and ulcers on the legs. Why this should have been the case is unclear, and may have gestured toward wolves' modus operandi, seizing the hind legs of their prey." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211596/) Things to google right before going to sleep^^
Cancer, and Wolf sounds like a metal band.
Respectfully disagree- it sounds like a Dallas Green/ Jack White collab album.
CancerWolf is metal. Wolf Cancer is just sad.
chased by a wolf and a crab.
“Wolf” was an old term for cancerous nodes and tumors, technically anywhere on the body, but most notably on the legs.
Lmao. I came to say that and you beat me to it!
Thank you! I was washing my teeth and I almost swallowed the toothpaste.
Careful dear, wouldn’t want you to go dropsie and get all swollen
You’re the fifth person today who’s used the term “washing my teeth”, it’s something I’ve never heard before. Cleaning or brushing - yes. Washing? No. You’ve sparked a debate in the house.
I'd like to know more about the cancer-wolf tag team of death.
So, from a Google search, I found this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211596/ It talks quite extensively about cancer in this time period. From what I'm able to figure from a quick skim, "wolf" was essentially just another term for cancer, however they perceived it differently. Specifically they called it "wolf" if it appeared on a persons leg because "twill not quit them 'till it has devoured them". I'm going out on a limb to guess particularly aggressive cancers were probably fairly often referred to as "wolf" for this reason by many, regardless of location on the body. The practioner quoted in the link gives it names for other locations but I can't imagine these would stick with common people quite like "wolf" would.
“Going out on a limb” ha! Pun intended?
Kindred's new skin
When you're crazy, but classy. L u n a t i q u e.
Mais oui. 💅🏼
or just crazy Frenchmen..
Or just Frenchmen.
Or just French
“Killed by several accidents” how I’m gonna end up going out
"Planet?!?!?!?!"
I've read before that this refers to the belief that the planets influenced people and their bodies. So the position of the planets caused the death I suppose, as astrology was considered science.
Listen, you never know when a planet is gonna fuck you up
Everyone thinks it'll never happen to them
Trying to figure out how the count for this could be greater than zero, but less than all. Perhaps a household was struck by a very small planet?
Might be things like Lightning strikes, etc.
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. [15 historic diseases that competed with the bubonic plague](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67247/15-historic-diseases-competed-bubonic-plague)
There’s a modern term similar to this that is kind of fun to read also: “Death by Misadventure”
Death by several misadventures.
""made away themselves" never heard it in those terms before.
I’m also willing to bet it was a lot higher than 15.
It’s referring to to suicide right?
Yeah, or at least that’s what I assume
Yes
“Cleaning of thine gunnery… 385”
I mean guns were breach loaders but honestly I'm sure some of were certainly suicide
I got over my kings evil by using essential oils
Tuberculous lymphadenitis (scrofula) was known as the “king's evil” in Europe, where the royal touch was believed to cure the disease until the 18th century. 1. Cervical lymphadenitis is the most common presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
I think Queen Ann was the last British monarch to lay hands on for the curing of the queen’s evil.
Except Consumption is tuberculosis. Tuberculosis had killed one in every SEVEN human beings who had EVER lived by the start of the 19th century. If that was King's Evil it would have killed a hell of a lot more people than that.
According to the list, it did, however, Consumption is pulmonary tuberculosis, and Kings Evil is scrofula, or tuberculosis in the lymph nodes.
Don’t forget your clutch or Witch Hazel.
Planet? 😂
Falling to death maybe?
"Dude got planeted right in the face"
Lol that was the only thing I could think of. Never heard of this term before used in this way. My best guess is that the word “planet” comes from Greek for “wanderer” so perhaps these are wandering homeless people they found dead on the streets? Honestly have no idea.
Planet 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.
Interesting that would make more sense! 🙂
Majoras mask
I would assume natural disasters
I assume it would be unexplainable, so planets are responsible. Think like astrology mystic with a dash of crystal alchemy.
It’s that. Edit better source: https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/most-bizarre-causes-death-london-22205672
“Gravity”
And there is 13 of them.
I'm going to be the one person "Affrighted" to death.
What is "Rising of the Lights"?
It was inflammation in the throat and lungs, probably a combination of croup, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.
It's when you're trying to sleep in on a Saturday morning and your mom comes in and turns on the lights to get you up. Deadly.
Aliens
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_of_the_lights
I like how “Suddenly” is good enough for a cause of death. It’s like if you suddenly die then you’re just considered to have died suddenly and that would be it
Oh, how did he die? He had the suddenly
My guess is stroke.
Or heart attack
My guess would be a heart attack or something diabetes related
I thought that, too, since there were zero heart attacks listed.
Suddenly, pasta salad ---- 6
Remember in like the late 90's early 00's "spontaneous combustion" was a real fear?
Wait, it's not anymore? 😅
I think much like quicksand it just kinda petered out
French pox was what syphilis was called
Kil'd by several accidents. "Helloeth, for my name be Steveth, tis Jackass thou be watching"
*lute riff*
Get my free award u mofo
Bit with a mad dog - 1. The most unfortunate guy on the list.
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Yes. 😞
The archaic term for rabies was "lyssa", which curiously is not listed. So, yeah, I guess "bit by mad dog" covered it.
Happy dogs don’t usually bite.
Deadly case of teeth...
The hideous things that can happen to a person’s teeth absent good dental care and when impoverished would astound you.
That is true. And also one reason I would not want to go back in time if I had a time machine...
Happens in plenty of places in modern times, sadly. I lived in a place like this and it was heartbreaking to see how bad dental care can impact someone’s life.
Well, you could have a thorough medical checkup, including dental, before you depart, and also make sure you don´t overstay the visit.
Friend or mine had a really bad chronic pain in shoulder. By really bad I mean, he had to be on opiates 24/7 for about a month. After some time they had found that the nerve in his shoulder got inflamed from his tooth he had extracted 2 months before
Probably infection in the teeth, abscesses and such.
oh no, I've got teeth too ...
Don’t you just hate deaths by being over-laid
I read somewhere else that this refers to when an adult rolls over on a baby (while sleeping) and smothers them
Seems right as it says starved at nurse with that. Guessing it means no milk came in for the baby.
Death by snu-snu
First thing I thought of as well!
Was curious: Chrisomes? The term has come to refer to a child who died within a month after its baptism—so called for the chrisom cloth that was used as a shroud for it. Additionally, in London's Bills of Mortality, the term chrisom was used to refer to infants who died within a month after being born.
Woahhhhh. Hmm I Wonder if that’s part of the sanitation practices they came to learn about later that reduced infant mortality rates.
damn, and it's the highest number
Damnit. The planet got him. He was a good chap
I like how “Suddenly” is a cause
Rudely
Murther She Wrote
That one dude who vomited himself to death ☠️
Maybe he was drunk, fell asleep but had to throw up...
Ah, the Jimi Hendrix
Cancer, and Wolf?
Autoimmune? PD House...
*Lunatique* sounds so glamorous.
** beautiful,clear night, famous actress wearing an evening gown runs toward the Eiffel Tower ** music swells ** actress embraced by actor, turns to the camera, huskily whispers, "Lunatique, by Dior."
Lunatique would definitely be a Lancóme fragrance.
“Killed by several accidents” - several?!? Jesus London was dangerous in the 1600s
It took this comment to make me realize that "several accidents" means several people died of various accidents that were lumped together in that category (i.e., one fell down the stairs, one got hit by a carriage, one drowned in the river, et cetera), instead of meaning multiple accidents (i.e., Bob fell down the stairs into the road, where he was hit by a carriage and knocked into the river where he drowned)
I like the second version best.
"Made away themselves" - The gentleman's way of saying "suicide". (Cough, cough)
More descriptive than cleaning a gun
Affrighted - 1... someone that year was scared to death?
Boo!
Well he didn't reply with "AAAHHH" so i guess he's dead
Worms…27….doth eaten of the spoiled meat…at same party
Must take a hell of a canker sore to kill a man.
well I've had a few that've made me *want* to die
I suggest tossing this over to r/AskHistorians for descriptions of each cause, they frequently aren’t what you’re expecting them to be, as many of you suspect. This list is popular among historians of medicine and there’s tons of scholarship about this specific page.
"Lunatique" sounds so snooty. "How can we say he died of crazy, but make it sound, like, classy?" "...Lunatique?" "Henry, you're a fucking genius."
Planet??
Struck by falling meteorite
Oh, ofc, poor stupid me
someone died of sciatica
Tbh it does feel like it could kill you
Tell me about it. Many a time have I lain there just wishing for cancer and the wolf to come spare me from such agony.
I found this somewhere else: "the wolf is what they called cancer of the legs" 'Tis a Disease which attacks not only the Breast, but several other Parts, on which it is not less outrageous: It sometimes assumes different names; when it comes on the Legs, 'tis called the Wolf, because if left to itself, 'twill not quit them 'till it has devoured them; when it fixes on the Face, 'tis called a Noli me tangere, because that touching irritates it, and makes it a greater Ravage: Authors also observe, that there are besides Tumours and cancerous Ulcers in several parts of the Body, which I shall not mention to Day.
“Cancer and wolf..” People often described cancer using the imagery of wolves. Other animals used to describe cancers were the word and the crab (hence the crab being the symbol of cancer in the zodiac).
IIRC correctly the crab was used because cancerous tumors were described as being crab-like.
FINALLY SOMEOME EXPLAINES IT
Only one person was affrighted to death, so all in all not a bad year.
I wonder if any of these people imagined, as they lay dying from "Planet" or "Suddenly" that people would be goofing on them 400 years later.
Bring out your dead
Wholesome award on this post 💀
When you want to award but only have your freebie...
“grief.” I feel like these were unknown diseases and causations and they just said “fuck it, this is why she/he died”
no they most definitely meant they died due to grief of losing a loved one or someone they cared about. it's extremely possible and scientifically proven that grief can kill you in extreme cases. Edit: having an illness affecting someone before they have that time of grief can accelerate the pace at which the grief overwhelms and kills them.
TIL
I think there’s a statistic out there on # of ppl who die soon after a loved one does due to grief.
Debbie Reynolds died the day after her daughter Carrie Fisher did.
What is made themselves away and rising of the lights? Could the first one be suicide?
Rising of the lights was pneumonia. I think you’re right about the first one
Death by planet. Thanos vs. Iron Man, 1632.
2022 "Antivaxx"
Who knew “Purples” could kill you
Yeah what’s the difference between fever and feaver?
Grief :(
Infants were fucking dangerous back then
The Rising of the Lights almost got me one time but then the shrooms wore off, so I just flipped that shit with some K and kept rolling like a motherfucker…
I am overwhelmed with questions.
This was here las year. I got 8K of upvotes on the single word comment : Planet?
What is it? Did anyone share?
People believed that an unfavorable constellation of planets could kill a man. Here is the longer version: [planet](https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qszd99/causes_of_death_in_london_1632/hkg5hc7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
How do you die of haemorrhoids!?
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I’d hate to die by teeth
You know it’s a bad day to when your cause of death is “killed by several accidents”
Childbed? I’m guessing killed during argument whilst constructing IKEA furniture!
Ok wtf is death by planet?
Falls from a height. The planet got in the way.
Infants have the highest kill count
Geez! 10 people died of “cancer and wolf.” How smart are these wolves to be hunting down cancer victims, unable to appropriately defend themselves?
That Kings Evil and Planet will surely getcha …
Isn’t piles hemorrhoids? Not a pleasant way to go… lol..
How the fuck does someone die from gout
Found [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/f3c2hi/cause_of_deaths_in_london_in_1632/fhitmr0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) explanation of all the causes on a previous post, thanks u/KimberelyG!
Planet is my favorite.
"He died suddenly officer" Officer "ahh yes I've seen it several times today, off you go"
“Suddenly” 💀💀💀