Cause of death from an 1887 death certificate

[BSmith2268]

Hi all,

I recently received the death certificate of my x3-great-grandmother, Harriet Jones who died on the 17th February 1887, aged 52 in Llanedy, Carmarthenshire.

Her cause of death reads:
Cerebral Softening, 9 months.

Does anyone know what this exactly means?
I have looked it up, but I am still unsure.

Thank you,
BSmith

[Girl Guide]

A possible explanation albeit a bit technical!

Encephalomalacia is the softening or loss of brain tissue after cerebral infarction, cerebral ischemia, infection, craniocerebral trauma, or other injury.[1] In the imaging classification of traumatic brain injury, encephalomalacia is a type of chronic condition secondary to injury of the brain.[2] Cerebral softening leads to the brain changes which can have varied clinical manifestations.

[BSmith2268]

Hi,

Thank you for getting back to me.

So most likely, my ancestor probably had a stroke or some form of damage to the brain.