Just a thought, what about pertussis (whooping cough) or syphillis?
Don't know the age or gender of the person your death certificate is for, or when the death was registered. sometimes the spoken word (with local accents) can be difficult I suppose when the person writing the certificate is not sure of what is said, especially if the informant can't write/read.
As you say the person copying/transcribing the certificate for you could also have got it wrong? if it was a handwritten certificate she was copying the writing may not have been very legible, then you have a problem..
hmm, pertussis, syphillis, phthisis..
Newbie