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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: Pennines on Saturday 12 August 17 11:47 BST (UK)
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I was just wondering if any kind person with good eyes can decipher this cause of death please?
It was in 1881 - an old man - and he had fallen downstairs. I expected the cause of death to reflect something to do with the fall - but I cannot make it out at all -- except that it appears to end in 'chitis'.
Many thanks for looking.
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Does it start with an "S" - Sci***
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Thought it was scr**
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May be an S -- must admit I had been looking at causes starting with Lan and Lau -- no success with those. There is an 'S' in the letters after the Doctor's name -- could be. Thank you for the suggestions.
(Don't think I've had another ancestor die from this -- whatever it is!)
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Definitely an S not an L - see the L and S in the LRCS qualification of the doctor.
Added - must admit that when I first saw it, it looked like Launchitis to me - especially when I saw that he'd had a fall downstairs :-X
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Good one Gadget! You had me fooled there for a minute!
I know about the fall downstairs because it was in the newspaper (so it must be true!)
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What would the four letters at the bottom under the name be?What could they stand for?
If the last one is S then the cause of death would start start with S.
LRCS something like Licenced Registrar C (?) S(?)
Hope this helps a bit. Viktoria.
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What would the four letters at the bottom under the name be?What could they stand for?
If the last one is S then the cause of death would start start with S.
LRCS something like Licenced Registrar C (?) S(?)
LRCS is Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons.
( see reply # 4)
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Thanks, so everyone had read the first letter correctly.
It can`t be but looks like "Sauchitis"--I won`t sleep tonight now! Viktoria.
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Funnily enough I had just 'googled' 'sauchitis' -- the amazing google came up with --' did you mean Pouchitis?' I've have never heard of that but it is a medical condition.
The first letter isn't as flowery as the capital 'P' in the Doctor's name - otherwise it could be a mis-spelling -- ie Pauchitis.
I don't think we are going to know -- but thank you so much everyone for your helpful input.
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I've been looking through some old medical terms -
http://www.genproxy.co.uk/old_medical_terms.htm
Given that this cert was written by a registrar/clerk who had to interpret the doctor's writing, the only ones that seem possible on this list would be:
scirrhus - cancerous tumours
screws - rheumatism -could it have been written screwchitis
Now I give up.
Gadget
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I`ve looked it up "Pouchitis"----ouch!
To do with the last stage of digestion--if you get my meaning :-[
Poor man ,but would such a procedure have been done at this date?
Viktoria.
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Think you've got it, Gadget.
S c r u c h i t i s = Screwchitis. ?????
So, inflammation of the joints leading him to fall?
Hi I did wonder if the first letters were s c r.... and not s a u .... .
Well done, Gadget. :-))))
Anne
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I did rather get the wrong end didn't I?Viktoria.
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You absolute stars!
Now I look at it again - I can SO see 'Scruchitis' --- but I would never have found 'screw' as meaning rhuematism and still wouldn't have known the cause without your help.
Clever Gadget!
Yes Viktoria -- Pouchitis does look dreadful - but I was 'messing' with that (so to speak!)
Thank you all so very much.
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Great thinking Gadget.
I'd seen the word 'screws' for rheumatism, but totally failed to make the vital connection :-X
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Hold it - I'm still not totally convinced.
Would rheumatism be a main cause of death? I can see that having severe rheumatism might cause the person to fall but not to kill. A fall might cause broken bones e.g. skull, which then might cause internal injury leading to inflammation/bleeding. The patient would then die from that rather than rheumatism. In those days, a doctor might explain the death by the underlying cause - i.e. rheumatism causing mobility problems leading to the fall.
What did the newspaper report say. Pennines ?
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In those days, a doctor might explain the death by the underlying cause - i.e. rheumatism causing mobility problems leading to the fall.
I think that's quite likely the answer.
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Believe it or not this man was 105 years old. (Supposedly)
The newspaper report said........
"......died on Thursday night from injuries on Tuesday from a fall downstairs.
The old man had passed through the recent cold weather very well and on Tuesday morning had got up and dressed as usual, and after having a basin of soup was endeavouring to descend the stairs by the help of his eldest daughter, herself about 80 years of age - when the woman found she was not equal unassisted, to the task.
She therefore got the old man to sit at the top of the stairs while she went for some help. However .... he appears to have thought he was able to get downstairs himself and attempting to do so fell from top to bottom.
On his daughter's return he was found lying helpless at the bottom. He was picked up and put to bed, but the shock he received proved so severe that it resulted in his death about seven o' clock on Friday night'
(Yes I did spot the discrepancy as to whether he died on Thursday or Friday.)
I do accept your point though about rheumatism not usually being a cause of death. Strange that no actual injuries are mentioned though --- it was possibly a combination of his age, his lack of mobility and the shock of the fall.
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I've been looking through some old medical terms -
http://www.genproxy.co.uk/old_medical_terms.htm
Given that this cert was written by a registrar/clerk who had to interpret the doctor's writing, the only ones that seem possible on this list would be:
scirrhus - cancerous tumours
screws - rheumatism -could it have been written screwchitis
Now I give up.
Gadget
Gadget's observation regarding the second-hand clerical interpretation of the doctor's handwriting is a point well made.
Given the great age involved here it may be that the cause of death was simply attributed to that of "Sarcopenia" - as referenced at this link: http://www.aginginmotion.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sarcopenia_fact_sheet.pdf
Willyam
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A question though - would sarcopenia have been a known disease then (1881) ?