Strange Cause of Death

[hilbury]

Most of the death certificates I have bought have fairly ordinary 'Cause of Death'...
Pulmonary Embolism or Oedema, Pneumonia, Bronchopneumonia, Phthisis/Consumption (TB), heart failure, etc.
Recently I received the death certificate of my maternal Great-grandfather which has an interesting cause of death.
It says:  'Concussion due to fractures of the skull and miningeal haemorrage caused when he fell from a roof while engaged in fire guard practice. Accidental PM'

It got me wondering...

What interesting things have you seen written in the 'Cause of Death' column on Death certificates?

Hilary.

[kerryb]

Hi Hilary

I had one that simply said Visitation by God.

But the most interesting one  was John Funnell who was run over by the wheels of his cart.

Kerry

[kooky]

This one is interesting
1.Broncho pneumonia due to
2. Confinement to bed after sustaining 3 fractures of the ribs,clavicle and pelvis, when deceased .....fell off his float drawn by a pony - Accidental.
Kooky

[lizdb]

I had one that just said 'decline'

[LizzieW]

My grandfather's on Scotlandspeople reads:

Comminuted fracture of skull with resulting laceration and destruction of the brain substance caused by motor cycle accident.

The death shown beneath his on the same page states:

Gunshot wound of the head.

The saddest my g.uncle:

Died of Wounds, France and Flanders

Liz

[Comosus]

My GGGG Grandfather died of palsy.  I found an interesting death for my GGGGGG Grandfather who fell down the coal mine, although that was in 1780 and was on parish registers, not on a certificate.

Andrew

[meles]

My sad one is great granddad - "Suicide by hanging whilst of unsound mind"

No idea what lay behind that. No wonder Dad never spoke about him.

meles

PS Any jokes about unsoundness of mind running in family will not be welcome. Though possibly true! 

[PrueM]

There is a topic on Rootschat for "Saddest Death in Your Tree" and I've posted some on there, but as for strange...

1866:  "Suppuration of the scalp from three [...] wounds".  (the writing is tiny and I've never been able to work out exactly what the wounds were caused by, but this was a 73 year old lady, so I'm assuming they were from a fall    )

1873:  "Burnt to death by a house taking fire through an explosion of composition used in the making of fireworks - accidentally - instantly"  (there's a long story behind this one, but basically this lady was 72 and died with two of her grandchildren when the house where they lived on the 1st floor burnt down because the guy on the ground floor decided to dry his fireworks composition next to his fire       )

Prue

[kooky]

The only other death I have which is unusual, is that of my 2xgt gr father's brother.-

Thirtieth December 1874. In a shed.....

"Suicide in a state of insanity, hanging himself by a rope to a hook in a beam"

Kooky