Dying of old age?

[Graham47]

Graham - The cause of my parent's deaths were not given as old age, as they were both suffering from health problems, however quite a few of my ancestors died of old age or senile decay at anything from age 65 onwards - many of them not certified by a doc.

Well yes, not that many years ago the poor old medic did not have a clue as to what saw granny off so it would have been well within their remit to have written that and a host of other supposed conditions.

[LizzieW]

Well yes, not that many years ago the poor old medic did not have a clue as to what saw granny off so it would have been well within their remit to have written that and a host of other supposed conditions.

Not only that, people seem to have been able to register deaths of people whose death had not been certified by a doctor, or else the registrar just didn't think it important enough to add that info to the register.

[Guyana]

It's one thing that aint going to get me! I'm going to live forever, - or die trying!

(My wife says I'm a silly old fool.   I aint old!)

[stanmapstone]

 Until 1874 entering the cause of death was not a legal requirement.

Stan

[Graham47]

Until 1874 entering the cause of death was not a legal requirement.

Stan

So what did they write on that dotted line then Stan, apart from the obvious? 

[stanmapstone]

The Births and Deaths Registration Act had three principal aims, to facilitate legal proof of death, to prevent the concealment of crime, and to produce accurate mortality statistics. The prescribed form had a space for the cause of death, but completion of this was based on information supplied by the informant, or by the coroner who seldom had access to autopsy findings. Because of the deficiencies in the system, which were soon identified, in 1842 the Registrar General asked doctors to provide informants with a written cause of death, and in 1843 produced a a classification or arrangement of diseases, the first attempt to produce standard classified lists of the causes of death. In 1845 ten thousand licensed doctors received books of death certificates which they were invited to complete “to the best of their knowledge and belief” but in 1858 over 11 per cent of deaths were still registered without any medical information. In this year the General Medical Council came into existence, but there were 5000 medical practitioners not registered with the GMC and they were not initially included in the death certificate exercise.
The 1874 Act attempted to improve matters, and the ‘invitation’ to doctors to provide information became a ‘duty’, but unregistered ‘medical practitioners’ did not loose the right to issue certificates until 1885.
Dealing with Death: A Handbook of Practices, Procedures and Law

This is what the 1874 Act states:
(2.) In case of the death of any person who has been attended during his last illness by a registered medical practi­tioner, that practitioner shall sign and give to some person required by this Act to give information con­cerning the death a certificate stating to the best of his knowledge and belief the cause of death, and such person shall, upon giving information concerning the death, or giving notice of the death, deliver that certificate to the registrar, and the cause of death as stated in that certificate shall be entered in the register, together with the name of the certifying medical practitioner:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1874Act.htm

Stan

[groom]

I think I'd prefer to have "Died of Old Age" written on my death certificate, rather than what is on my great x3 grandfather's. He apparently died of Natural Decay, which I suppose is much the same thing.

[Graham47]

The Births and Deaths Registration Act had three principal aims, to facilitate legal proof of death, to prevent the concealment of crime, and to produce accurate mortality statistics. The prescribed form had a space for the cause of death, but completion of this was based on information supplied by the informant, or by the coroner who seldom had access to autopsy findings. Because of the deficiencies in the system, which were soon identified, in 1842 the Registrar General asked doctors to provide informants with a written cause of death, and in 1843 produced a a classification or arrangement of diseases, the first attempt to produce standard classified lists of the causes of death. In 1845 ten thousand licensed doctors received books of death certificates which they were invited to complete “to the best of their knowledge and belief” but in 1858 over 11 per cent of deaths were still registered without any medical information. In this year the General Medical Council came into existence, but there were 5000 medical practitioners not registered with the GMC and they were not initially included in the death certificate exercise.
The 1874 Act attempted to improve matters, and the ‘invitation’ to doctors to provide information became a ‘duty’, but unregistered ‘medical practitioners’ did not loose the right to issue certificates until 1885.
Dealing with Death: A Handbook of Practices, Procedures and Law

This is what the 1874 Act states:
(2.) In case of the death of any person who has been attended during his last illness by a registered medical practi­tioner, that practitioner shall sign and give to some person required by this Act to give information con­cerning the death a certificate stating to the best of his knowledge and belief the cause of death, and such person shall, upon giving information concerning the death, or giving notice of the death, deliver that certificate to the registrar, and the cause of death as stated in that certificate shall be entered in the register, together with the name of the certifying medical practitioner:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1874Act.htm

Stan

Sorry Stan, should have said before 1874

[stanmapstone]

From 1837 a cause of death was probably entered but there was no legal requirement  to do so.

Stan