Daily AncestorPutrid fever
Putrid fever was an 1700s and 1800s name for typhus, though writers also applied it to other severe fevers.
Putrid fever was one of many older names for typhus, describing a fever with great weakness and a sense of decay in the body.
Older writers did not always use it precisely, so a putrid fever in a diary or letter could also be another serious fever. Combine it with the setting, such as a camp or ship, to judge.
As seen in a recordChurch death register, 1700s
Capt. E. Hale d. of a putrid fever, Sept. 1778
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Daily Ancestor. "Putrid fever." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/putrid-fever. Last checked 2026-10-01.