Week 43 is 'Cause of Death', and some of the causes of death listed on death certificates, in coroners reports and even on headstones can make you stop and think. Sometimes they are straightforward and I know what the terms mean, but others required some research to understand.
There are a few great websites around that help us understand the causes of death we find given for our ancestors. One I have used several times is Rudy's List of Archaic Medical Terms - giving explanations of various causes of death and for many their equivalent today and a handwritten example of the term.
In my own family there are a range of causes of death. Several died in accidents - falling from a horse, cart turnover, farming accidents. Several women died in childbirth. Two died in lunatic asylums, both admitted in old age because of dementia. Others died of pneumonia, influenza, cholera and other illnesses. Cancer has also appeared fairly frequently. Rarer causes of death include catarrh, atrpohy, occlusion and simple old age.
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