I have encountered many unusual medical terms explaining
‘cause of death.’ Some of them I could figure out but others, I just wasn’t
sure of. Obviously many of the same conditions exist today but with all of the
modern scientific approaches to medicines they been granted more appropriate
and understandable names. I thought it might be helpful for others who are
doing their family research for me to list some of the ‘curious’ ones I have
come across. They had heart disease,
still born babies. blue babies, TB, diphtheria and even suicides. What I didn’t
find much of was measles, scarlet fever or cancer. When I find the death record
of an ancestor, it is usually on a page with 25-30 other names. I have chosen
some of the more unusual ones from death records in Boston in the 1875-1885 era.
Apoplexy – This appears to be what we today call a stroke.
Cholera Infantum – Infants seemed to be the most effected by
this with uncontrollable
diarrhea and then collapse. This seemed to be associated with hot weather and large cities.
Compression of Brain – This is apparently when the brain
swells after an injury
Congestion of liver – Probably what we know as cirrhosis of
the liver
Consumption of Bowels – tuberculosis of the intestinal tract
Inanition – the quality of being empty. I would guess
starving, maybe due to not being
able to keep food down.
Marasmas – generally a wasting away due to a feeble
condition, not really attributed
to any specific cause. Saw this recorded for quite a few babies
Mitral Regurgitation – the mitral heart value doesn’t close
completely, allowing blood to
flow back into the heart, causing the heart to work less efficiently
Paralysing Heart – pretty much what it sounds like – a heart
that no longer has any function
Parturition Septicaemia – infection during child birth
Pericarditis – inflammation of the sac around the heat due
to either a virus or bacteria,
with chest pain
Phthisis Pulmanitis – A wasting away of the lungs, better
known as consumption or tuberculosis
Supperating glands – swollen glands that begin to discharge
fluids or pus
Teething – the closest I can find on this is that teething
caused severe diarrhea which, in
turn, caused debilitation
Traumatic peritonitis – traumatic meaning injury, inflammation
of the lining of the abdomen
usually caused by bacteria or fungi
Tuberculosis – in general, this disease could effect any
organ, where the symptoms might
vary but the result would still be the same.
Tubercular Meningitis – An inflammation of the membranes of
the brain, in this case caused
by tuberculosis.
Typhoid – an infectious disease introduced with food or
water causing inflammation of
mucous membranes, in this case the bowels, and enlargement
of the spleen and glands
Wikipedia
Merriam Webster Dictionary
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