Additional Diseases & Illnesses on Slave Ships

In addition to scurvy, smallpox, flux, and venereal diseases, slave ships likewise served as incubators to the following diseases and illnesses:

Yellow fever
Malaria
Pneumonia
Consumption (aka Tuberculosis)
Measles
Epilepsy
Colic (pain that begins and ends rapidly, usually due to cramps and muscle contractions)
Dropsy (aka Edema, which is the buildup of fluid in the body’s tissues)
Yaws (bacterial infection that affects the skin and bones)
Apoplexy (bleeding within the internal organs)