Cause of Death

[SoozeH]

Can anyone help with the meaning of a 'cause of death' on a 1876 death certificate please.  It says 'delirium epota or epotic'.
What on earth is that?

Any help appreciated.
Thanks
Sue

[Alexander.]

Could it be epileptic delirium?

Maybe posting a scan of that part of the certificate could help decipher it.

[Evie]

Hi

According to latin translation epotus is drained/exhausted so their delirium must have been quite severe by whatever was causing it.

Another translation said drunk up/down

Evie

[SoozeH]

Thanks for your replies. 

FreckNeale, I'm afraid I can't scan it as my scanner isn't compatible with my laptop.  I have compared the handwriting with the rest of the certificate and I'm sure of my interpretation. 

Evie, The translation of epotus sounds promising.  Do you think this could be an alcohol related cause of death.  The man in question was a wine merchant's porter for many years until he died, perhaps he imbibed a little of the juice along the way!

You've given me food for thought.
Thanks
Sue

[Evie]

Do you think this could be an alcohol related cause of death. 

To be quite honest Sue, the thought had crossed my mind.

Evie

[gordon5]

I've found a reference to epota in "A Handbook of Medical Diagnosis For Students". It refers to the diagnosis of typhoid and talks about the appearance of a crop of rose-red epota appearing on a tympanitic abdomen. This book dates (I think) from 1910. Another reference in Smith's English-Latin dictionary suggests that epota is a verb meaning to boil up in the sense of effervescence.

[SoozeH]

Oh gosh, now I'm confused.  This is something completely different.  More investigation needed I think.
Thanks for your reply
Sue

[gordon5]

Hiya

Having thought further about it, the medical reference could mean boils appearing on the abdomen, it also goes on to talk about weakness, dizziness etc which could account for the delirium as the typhoid progressed. Is typhoid a possibility? Where did your person die - which part of the world, I'm assuming hospital!

There was a nasty outbreak of typhoid near Uppingham between 1875 and 1877...

[PrueM]

...rose-red epota...

Having looked at the book, it's been OCR scanned, and "epota" is actually supposed to be "spots"