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Windows on the Past
One good reason to look at the past is to try to predict the future. If many people in your family have had trouble with asthma, it could mean that you and future generations will too. Many diseases are passed down through the genes. This doesn’t mean that just because some family members have heart disease, everyone will. Still, it is more likely to be a problem, so extra checkups would be a good idea. And, with today’s better medicines and health care, illnesses that were once a death sentence are now curable.
TRACKING MEDICAL HISTORY
Diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, heart disease: How can you find medical information of this kind about your family?
A death certificate sometimes can give clues. Does it list the cause of death as heart disease or stroke? Be careful, though—older death certificates were not always right. Many would list pneumonia as the cause of death because the person exhibited symptoms pointing to the disease. But the underlying cause could actually have been cancer, or something else.
You can also contact the hospital where a relative died. Hospitals have records, and they can release them to people who have authorization. You (or your parents) will have to complete some paperwork, but it may be worth it!
Relatives can sometimes provide answers. Your uncle may remember that your grandmother had terrible headaches or had to watch the sugar she ate, which could indicate diabetes.
Obituaries can also give clues, too. If cause of death is not mentioned, a suggestion to send donations to an organization such as the Diabetes Foundation or American Heart Association would indicate what health problem that person had.
You should know that the names of many diseases have changed over time. If your great-grandmother tells you a great-uncle had consumption, you may not have a clue what she’s talking about. But you might if she called it what it is known as today: TB (short for tuberculosis).
MATCH THE ILLNESS
Here is a list of health problems from years past. They’re still around today, but with different names. See if you can match the old names with what they’re called today, then check out your answers on the next page
| Years Past | Today | |
| Apoplexy | ___ | a. heart failure |
| Dropsy | ___ | b. typhus |
| Glandular fever | ___ | c. tonsillitis |
| Grippe | ___ | d. mononucleosis |
| Jail fever | ___ | e. pneumonia |
| Lockjaw | ___ | f. flu |
| Quincy | ___ | g. stroke |
| Lung fever | ___ | h. tetanus |
| Answers | |
| Apoplexy | _g_ stroke |
| Dropsy | _a_ heart failure |
| Glandular fever | _d_ mononucleosis |
| Grippe | _f_ flu |
| Jail fever | _b_ typhus |
| Lockjaw | _h_ tetanus |
| Quincy | _c_ tonsillitis |
| Lung fever | _e_ pneumonia |
WORDS, LIKE FASHIONS, ALSO GO OUT OF DATE
When reading or hearing family stories, you may come across other words you don’t recognize. Usually you can figure out the meaning of a word from the words surrounding it. Sometimes, it’s a word you think you know, but it doesn’t seem to mean what you think it does. You’re at a total loss! Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes the meanings of words change, and some words can mean several things. It helps to try to look up strange words in a dictionary. Even slang words can be found there. Learning slang from the past is also a part of the fun of discovering your family’s world.
Do you use slang words when talking to friends? Well, believe it or not your parents and their parents did, too. No wonder people of different generations don’t always understand each other! Why not make a dictionary of slang words that were popular when your parents and grandparents were growing up?
WHAT YOU NEED
small notebook
pen or pencil
Your computer (to store the information)
WHAT TO DO
1. Talk to your grandparents. Make up a list of words or phrases that they used to say. Write the words (along with what they mean, and how they were used) in the little notebook. Some words or phrases might be “the cat’s pajamas,” or “groovy” or “rad,” all of which mean “great.” Mark those pages as words your grandparents used.
2. Now it’s your parents’ turn. Ask them what slang words they used to use. Write down the words or phrases on their pages along with the meanings.
3. Finally, add your own slang words to the notebook and what you mean when you say them. Transfer the lists to the proper files on your computer or pages in your workbook, too.
4. Now, look through the pages of your family slang dictionary with your parents and grandparents (and uncles and aunts, and cousins of all ages) when the family gets together. What a great way to learn to understand each other better! And someday, when future generations look at the book, they will know how to speak your “slanguage,” too.