Rising of the lights was an illness or obstructive condition of the larynx, trachea or lungs, possibly croup. It was a common entry on bills of mortality in the 17th century. Lights in this case referred to the

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side ...

.Thomas R. Forbes, ''The changing face of death in London'', in Charles Webster (editor), ''Health, Medicine and Mortality in the Sixteenth Century'' (1979), page 128

In culture

In his ''A New Booke of Mistakes'' (1637), Robert Chamberlain gives a humorous epitaph:

In culture

References

Further reading