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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 16:03 GMT (UK)

Title: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 16:03 GMT (UK)
I know what I think it says but would like a second opinion if anyone has time to look as I'm a bit crosseyed today :-)

1860 cause of death for a wee boy aged 2 and a half,

its the first line I am wondering about.

Boo
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Girl Guide on Tuesday 24 January 23 16:42 GMT (UK)
Gosh, this is a hard one Boo.  I'm wondering if the last two words are - of Hep - perhaps hepatitis?

Are there any other words on the certificate whose letters look like the first word.  I thought the first letter may be B or a fancy M.

Finding any mentions of causes of infant deaths online is hard to find.  I did find a glossary of medical terms used in the 18th & 19th centuries but nothing looked likely.

https://www.thornber.net/medicine/html/medgloss.html
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 16:50 GMT (UK)
Thanks for looking Girl Guide. I was trying to find some sort of medical term which may have contributed to the peritonitis but maybe the two were unrelated?
I was wondering if it may say Burn to of Hip?

I've had this cert for almost 15 years but am going through all the certs at the mo adding the ones not yet entered as postems on FreeBMD.

EDIT have checked the rest of it and not another B or M to be seen


Boo


Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Girl Guide on Tuesday 24 January 23 17:01 GMT (UK)
Well I wouldn't disagree with burn to hip but I thought the word before "Hip" "Hep" was 'of' rather than 'to'.  It would be a very long 't' if it was 't'.
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 17:04 GMT (UK)
and when I posted the full cert I changed the 'to' , to say 'of' - but forgot to say I'd edited it. Apologies, I really should have said that.

Boo
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Girl Guide on Tuesday 24 January 23 17:12 GMT (UK)
There tends to be quite a bit of fancy writing during Victorian times and it can get difficult to work out what has been written.  The B of burn has a bit of a flourish to it and the D of Dunstan is quite flowery.
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: polarbear on Tuesday 24 January 23 18:53 GMT (UK)
Can’t help with the first part but it looks like the word after the 3 weeks is peritonittis. My understanding is this would be an infection in the abdomen.

PB
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: bearkat on Tuesday 24 January 23 19:49 GMT (UK)
It does look like Burn of Hep.  Hmm. Hip would make more sense but every other 'i' is dotted.

As polarbear says peritonitis is usually caused by something internal in the abdomen, eg appendicitis or perforated colon.
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Zefiro on Tuesday 24 January 23 19:52 GMT (UK)
The only thing I see is Burn of Hep(atitis), but I'm not sure this makes (medical) sense.
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 20:16 GMT (UK)
Thanks to polarbear, bearkat and Zefiro for looking,
I did get the peritonitis part but do think the other cause/ significant problem at time of death was `Burn of Hip'

Will go with that on the postem, if anyone comes across it and wonders if I have mistranscribed it then they will have the option of purchasing the pdf, should they want to, and see what they make of it.

Its the best I can do :-)

Boo



Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: manukarik on Tuesday 24 January 23 20:25 GMT (UK)
One of the symptoms of hepatitis can be an abnormal tingling or burning sensation (paresthesia). So it could be that the poor boy suffered for 3 weeks from the burn(ing) of hep(atitis)?
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 20:30 GMT (UK)
thanks manuarik
its 'possible' but for the purposes of the postem I can't really second guess, I have to (rightly or wrongly, as with any transcription) type what I see and, as such, feel that if he had hepatitis it would have said so (they liked the long words back then !).

I really appreciate the replies and will note them in my own records.

Boo
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: manukarik on Tuesday 24 January 23 20:32 GMT (UK)
You're quite right of course - I don't envy you, if you have lots of these to transcribe!
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Tuesday 24 January 23 20:55 GMT (UK)
You're quite right of course - I don't envy you, if you have lots of these to transcribe!

have done over 100 so far (including some I did a while ago).

Still got lots to go, I have some that were in drawers that I was able to scan and more that I bought over the last 20+ years.

I still have the info so can't see any reason why I shouldn't share on the offchance that someone may come across the postem and, as I have done on occasion, be over the moon that the postem at least helps me to confirm that its the correct entry.
I do my best to transcribe accurately but as with any transcription its then up to the reader if they take it as definite or get the record to be sure.
Boo
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Annie65115 on Tuesday 24 January 23 21:56 GMT (UK)
Peritonitis is definitely the secondary cause listed here. Peritonitis = inflammation of the peritoneum, ie the lining of the abdominal cavity. One of the commoner causes of this is if an organ in the abdomen "bursts" and the leakage of gut contents then irritates and inflames the peritoneum.

I too would go for "Burn of hip" as the primary listed cause.

How might the two be connected? Well, surprise, you can get an acute ulcer in the upper part of the gut as part of the body's stress reaction to a bad burn, and if that ulcer perforates then you'll get peritonitis!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling%27s_ulcer
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Wednesday 25 January 23 10:46 GMT (UK)
Thank you Annie.
As far as I am aware the info in the cause column was/is listed in order - the main cause first and then contributing factors. Though a burn, especially in a young child, is very serious I wouldn't have made the connection with peritonitis without your help.

Boo
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: StevieSteve on Wednesday 25 January 23 13:20 GMT (UK)

Will go with that on the postem, if anyone comes across it and wonders if I have mistranscribed it then they will have the option of purchasing the pdf, should they want to, and see what they make of it.

Its the best I can do :-)

Boo

Given you've posted the pdf on here, couldn't you provide a link to this thread on the postem?
Title: Re: cause of death
Post by: Tickettyboo on Wednesday 25 January 23 16:54 GMT (UK)
[quote author=StevieSteve link=topic=869601.msg7405606#msg7405606 date=1674652839

Given you've posted the pdf on here, couldn't you provide a link to this thread on the postem?
[/quote]

I didn't even think of that, its a really good idea :-)

Boo