Cause of death help

[TerriLea]

Hi,

I just received my GG Grandmother's death certificate and it says she died of "Abortion at the 5th month, haemorrhage, exhaustion,". And it has "certified" under all that as well.  So I was wondering if back then a miscarriage was classed as an abortion?

Thanks,
Terri.

[karenlee]

Hi Terri

Not sure about this situation, but I have a similar description on an New Zealand death certificate.  The woman in question had given birth to something like 8 children in about 12 years.  Needless to say she was less than impressed when she fell pregnant again and decided to take matters into her own hands.  Unfortunately she died as a result of her own attempts to lose the child.

Cheers
Karenlee

[TerriLea]

Thanks Karenlee,

This women had only 2 other children, my great grandmother and her sister, so I wondered if it had been a miscarriage or what. But with the certified on the death part after the info, maybe not?? Lots of questions. I was hoping to get some more family information from the death certificate, but I guess this is an answer to why my Great grandmother and her sister were living with other family from a short time later. It seems the father died only 2 years after his wife, so they were taken in or left with family members.

[PrueM]

I think "abortion" in this context means a natural abortion.  I would expect to see something slightly different if it was an induced (i.e. artificial) abortion, to imply that there was some intervention that caused it.  It's only in more modern times that we have come to associate the term with artificial abortion.

I'm not an expert in the terminology, though 

[TerriLea]

Thanks Prue,

I thought that perhaps she had a late miscarriage and died because of it.

[HannahB]

I believe the term is "spontaneous abortion" and that miscarriage was used up to a certain gestational point and after that it was termed an abortion.  Hannah

[CarolA3]

Hi Terri  

I think the terms 'miscarriage' and '(spontaneous) abortion' were both used, depending on the length of the pregnancy.  Basically they mean the same thing.

The words 'Certified John Smith MD' - or whatever name is shown - just mean that Dr Smith is confirming the cause of death.

Hope this helps,
Carol

Snap Hannah 

[Billyblue]

I'd agree with Prue.
According to my Medical Dictionary:
ABORTION: Expulsion of the product of conception before the child is viable.
When this occurs during the first three months it is termed abortion; from this time to viability, immature delivery or miscarriage
Italics are the dictionary's.

Funny that, I always thought it was miscarriage early, and abortion in later stages.
Anyway, various types of abortion, including spontaneous abortion.
Which is probably what happened in this case.  Don't assume it was 'criminal abortion' !

Anyway, gnu might come along and tell us what it all is.
Though I see now that Carol and Hannah have also said much the same as I have.

Dawn M

[TerriLea]

Thanks for your help.

Didn't think, and was hoping not that it was an asked for abortion. Just had "abortion at the 5th month", no spontaneous on there, also no Dr.s name, just certified. There was someone present at the death, but doesn't say if it was a Dr., and it was female, so probably not as they were all male Dr's back then.

She had 2 children previously, so I think something must of happened for her to loose the baby at 5 months pregnant.