Finding the historic obituary for your ancestor on Newspapers.com is like hitting the jackpot in genealogical research. Sometimes the cause of death is something we’ve never heard of. Here’s a list of historic causes of death and their modern equivalents.
Ague: Malarial Fever
Apoplexy: Unconsciousness resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke
Brain Fever: Meningitis
Bright’s Disease: Kidney failure
Childbed: Fever due to an infection after childbirth
Consumption: Tuberculosis
Canine Madness: Rabies caused by the bite of an animal
Chin Cough: Whooping cough
Diphtheria: Contagious disease of the throat
Dyspepsia: Indigestion and heartburn
Dropsy: Edema caused by kidney or heart disease
Falling Sickness: Epilepsy
Inanition: Starvation
Lockjaw: Tetanus disease that affects muscles in the neck and jaw
Milk Leg: Painful swelling after giving birth caused by thrombophlebitis in the femoral vein
Mania: Dementia
Mania-a-potu: A mental disorder caused by alcoholism
Quinsy: Tonsillitis
Ship Fever: Typhus
Spotted Fever: Meningitis or Typhus
Courtesy of Newspapers.com