Common Tudor Diseases

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  • Dysentery: Still active today, dysentery is a vile disease that causes a fever, stomach cramps, dehydration and diarrhoea. This is the disease that may have caused the death of Henry VIII's  hated advisor, Cardinal Thomas Worsley whilst he was imprisoned. The infection is a virus which spreads through dirty water. In the Tudor era, water was usually contaminated by human and animal waste so society would avoid drinking water by drinking ale and wine for the rich.    
  • Smallpox: Smallpox is like a very extreme version of chicken pox. If you caught the disease, it would probably be fatal. In the autumn of 1562, Elizabeth I came done with the deadly disease, thankfully she survived but was physically scarred on her face for the rest of her life. As a result she wore heavy white makeup. Symptoms were fever, chills, headaches, back ache and sometimes rashes of pus filled blisters! In sever cases it could damage your insides. A small pox vaccination was developed by Dr. Edward Jenner in the 18th century and in 1979, small pox was declared completely eradicated. 
  • St Anthony's Fire (aka: Ergotism): This was a disease that was contracted through consuming wheat which was contaminated with a certain fungus. It attacked the victim's nerve system and left them feeling hallucinated with the belief that they had burning sensations in their limbs and could also cause gangrene.  
  • Typhoid: Typhoid was a virus that caused bacteria, it can cause pneumonia and intestine damage. Symptom for typhoid include headaches, diarrhoea and abominable pain. One of the suspected killers of Prince Arthur in 1502 was typhoid. 
  • Influenza: During a two year influenza epidemic of 1557, Mary I died. Influenza causes stomach upset, fever, snotty nose, dry coughing, body aches, headaches, fatigue and sore throat. This was a massive killer in Tudor times. People still catch influenza today but you don't usually die unless you catch it extremely bad and you are pregnant, weak or old, but even then there is only a small chance of death. Now there is a jab available from the NHS in the UK. 
  • Gout: Henry VIII suffered from gout. Gout is form of arthritis and it usually occurs in the joint of the big toe. It is caused by urate crystals building up. It can cause sudden attacks of pain and redness and swelling of joints.
  • Childbed Fever/ Puerperal Fever: This was massive killer for new mothers. It was a fever that was picked up after childbirth and it killed both Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr. Like most illnesses, it caused high fevers, weakness and abominable pain.
  • Plague: Perhaps one of the most infamous diseases in history. The plague swept through London in 1665-1666. It also attacked during the Middle Ages. Symptoms included swelling, pus filled boils, fever and pain. It spread quickly in tightly packed areas, it was caused by flea bites and carried by rats.
  • Sweating Sickness: When Henry VIII was courting Anne Boleyn, her household contracted the illness and her, her brother George and her father Thomas all became ill due to it. Thankfully they all survived but Anne's brother in law Sir William Carey was killed by the sweating sickness. The sickness caused dizziness, shivers, headaches, pain in the limbs and fatigue. The scary thing about the virus was that it could kill in a matter of hours. It went through several epidemics and Henry VIII was terrified of contracting it therefore he moved around several palaces to escape the disease.  
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