Death information

[Jan1954]

I have found it fascinating to find out the cause of death for some of my ancestors - apart from the usual old age related heart failure.

My brother has diabetes and was asked if it ran in the family. He said no, but I have found a couple of direct ancestors who died as a result of it. Also, since I have made connections with cousins through research, have found 2 from the same side of the family who have it.

He also has kidney problems. Our maternal grandfather died many years before we were born and, when I obtained his death certificate, it was a kidney related condition that caused his demise.

My brother is now taking an active interest in the health conditions of the rest of the family tree and I'm hoping that I take after the other side, whose main cause of death was "senectus". :D

[suedent]

I had 8 great aunts (sisters) most of whom died of Cervical/Ovarian Cancer, the others died of other forms of Cancer, having got my gg-aunt's death certificate she died of Uterine Cancer aged 59. It's made me very aware of taking preventative measures. Alzheimers also seems to be a problem on that side of the family, in fact one of the great-aunts had Alzheimers & Cancer :(

Mind you on my mum's side of the family it's a different story, my nan died just a couple of months short of 101 & her mum was in her late 80s. I have my fingers crossed that I have inherited some of their genes.

[Davran]

I'm definitely not taking after one of mine who died from "paralysis of the insane". Another died of typhus, so that's not very likely, either.

More likely to be a heart problem, which exists on both sides.

[MythicalMarian]

Well, I do have an ancestral link. We in the Stokes family (especially the males) have 'chests'. So much so, that I have laughingly coined the medical term 'Stokes thorax' to describe our deaths - and so many of us still suffer with asthma and bronchitis to this day. I myself have had asthma during my teens, although our women do tend to shrug it off eventually. The males are less fortunate - my own son has been asthmatic since he was 2 years old, necessitating hospital admissions on a regular basis until he reached puberty.

The extraordinary thing I discovered - apart from all the cousins and uncles who died from chest-related complaints, was the cause of death of my direct Dads:

My father: Chronic bronchitis - myocardial failure - bronchopneumonia
My grandfather: Chronic bronchitis - asthma - myocardial failure
My great-grandfather: Bronchitis - asthma - myocardial failure

It's uncanny. And those of us who don't have asthma either in childhood or early youth, have some allergy such as eczema to contend with. But chests are rife, and in some cases - as I discussed with my own boss who is a cardiologist - it is hard to decide on old death certificates whether it is a chicken or egg situation. Heart and lung disease are related, so we do not really know if our Stokes men have weak hearts which cause pulmonary problems, or weak lungs which cause heart problems.

It is something of a worry when one has a 17 year old boy whose most recent male ancestors never lived past 60 years.

ETA: Quick note to Jan - I would be very interested (from a historical medical point of view) to know at what date you have diabetes recorded as a cause of death. It is something I have always wondered about. Thankfully it is totally absent from my family, but I have always wondered just when it became fully known as a definite disease.

[KateJones]

I'm definitely not taking after one of mine who died from "paralysis of the insane".

You are aware of what this means, are you? If not, I suggest you Google it.
Cheers
KJ

[Barnzzz]

I'm hoping to not inherit 'softening of the brain', but hey, maybe I won't realise I've got it.

[Barnzzz]

Errrrr, just googled softening of the brain and realised its not what I thought. It seems to be stroke related. Still don't want to inherit it obviously, however having thought about relations deaths, it seems I'm far more likely to suffer this, rather than an alzheimers connected malady which I wrongly thought it was.

[Jan1954]

ETA: Quick note to Jan - I would be very interested (from a historical medical point of view) to know at what date you have diabetes recorded as a cause of death. It is something I have always wondered about. Thankfully it is totally absent from my family, but I have always wondered just when it became fully known as a definite disease.

Will have a rummage amongst the certificates and let you know.

[Alan Welsford]

I may have posted this before.

When my dear old gran finally passed away at 103 years old, the doctor shuffled up and down, and said he didn't really know how to record it, it was just that her body was worn out.

In reality he recorded

Bronchopneumonia
&
Senility

I registered the death, and the registrar was almost seething. She suggested that at 103, he could have gone just with bronchopneumonia, and spared her the indignity of the senility.

I have to say, I was with her on that one.

She is not my only centenarian ancestor, as I also have a great grandmother who made 101, (and who had apparently always celebrated her birthday on the wrong day, until a birth certificate was bought late in her life!).

She died of

Bronchopneumonia
and
Diarrhoea

Again, I can't help feeling the doctor could have been a bit more tactful :o

Alan