Author Topic: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934  (Read 2494 times)

Offline jmec73

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Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:34 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm hoping someone might be able to decipher the cause of death for me on a death certificate. It does make sad reading as the baby only lived for 20 minutes, but would like to know the cause. We've been able to decipher (we think) "Congenitally malformed...." but not sure of the final word. Medical terms may have changed over the years (this is from 1934) but any suggestions would be gratefully received. The document is at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X672-F17

Thanks in advance.
Jon.

Offline JenB

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:39 GMT (UK) »
I’m sorry to say that it says Congenitally malformed monstrosity’.
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:40 GMT (UK) »
I was just going to write "monstrosity" too.  :o

Not a 'medical' term that I have heard before, in 1934 or any time. The word could easily have been omitted.

I see there was an autopsy, and beside "burial, cremation etc" is written "lab purposes". Might there be any record of the autopsy?

Offline medpat

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:41 GMT (UK) »
Just what I was going to put and asked OH to confirm what I saw. What a horrible thing to write for the poor parents.
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Offline dublin1850

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:45 GMT (UK) »
I wonder was it added later? It looks like a slightly different hand to the first two words. There seem to have been a number of people involved in completing the form.
Quite a bedside manner.
Coffey, Cummins [Rathfalla, Tipperary], Cummins [Skirke, Laois], Curran, Dillon [Clare], Fogarty [Garran, Laois/Tipp], Hughes, Keshan (Keeshan), Loughman [Harristown and Killadooley, Laois], Mallon [Armagh], Malone, Markham [Caherkine, Clare], McKeon(e) [Sligo/Kilkenny/Waterford], McNamara, Meagher, Prescott [Kilkenny/Waterford/Wexford?], Rafferty, Ryan, Sullivan, Tobin
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Offline jmec73

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:48 GMT (UK) »
Thanks everyone, I am genuinely shocked that something so insensitive would have been written. That's appalling :o( Poor parents as you say. Let's hope they never saw the death certificate with that written on it!

Thanks for helping me transcribe though, very much appreciated.

Best wishes,
Jon.

Offline LizzieW

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:49 GMT (UK) »
On the left of the certificate it has printed, Burial, Cremation or Removal.  Then someone has written "Lab Purposes".  The signature is that of the doctor, so I  would guess the parents never saw the child and maybe it was taken away for a postmortem.  When I was training to be a midwife in the early 1970s, stillbirths, or babies who were obviously going to die weren't shown to the parents, they were just taken away to the mortuary.

Nowadays with early scans in pregnancy, I guess the fetus would have been aborted.

So sad.

Offline Gadget

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:51 GMT (UK) »
I wonder was it added later? It looks like a slightly different hand to the first two words. There seem to have been a number of people involved in completing the form.
Quite a bedside manner.

The final signature, bottom right, looks in similar hand to the hand that wrote 'monstrosity' Note that this is date 1943 - was that an accident , with the numbers flipped?

Gadget
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: Cause of death on death certificate from 1934
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 30 December 18 12:53 GMT (UK) »
I thought that was an address Gadget: 1943 Starr (or something)  :-\

The printed year is "193" and then under the downstroke from the word above is a partly obscured "4".  Date is 1/27/1934 I think. (month and day the wrong way around as per the American way)