Cause of death- Senility

[BSmith2268]

Hi all,

I just received the death certificate of my x2 great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hopkins who died in 1941, aged 81.

The causes of death were:
1 (a) Cerebral Thrombrosis
(b) Senility

Does anyone know what 'senility' was? I'm assuming it could just mean 'old age', but I'm unsure.

Thanking you in advance,
BSmith

[AlanBoyd]

Yes, old age, but with definite implications of dementia, I would say.

[Jebber]

I agree  senility was  the old term for dementia.

[heywood]

I don’t think it would mean quite the same as the term ‘dementia’ as we know it now.
I recall my mother talking about ‘senile dementia’ but when my grandfather died in 1963, the cause of death, I think, was ‘senility’ and he was physically frail rather than mentally frail.
It might have been an acceptable and easy diagnosis for some doctors.