Unusual causes of death (Indians, British, teeth, college)

[bjh]

At one time a sanitorium just meant a place where people with an incurable disease were cared for. We'd call it a hospice now.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

"Heart Failure Caused by Overdose of Chloroform." At age 52. He was a physician and surgeon

[bjh]

They used to have chloroform and ether "parties."

Grandad's forgotten more ways to party than we ever knew.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Not to sound morbid, but what are some of the most unusual causes of death you have found?

There are the more common causes of death, like heart ailments, strokes, accidents.

I have found some weird ones. One guy committed suicide with Carbolic Acid. A baby died of Anencephaly. One guy eventually died (he had it a while) of lead poisoning. He went insane. Died at 76. He was a retired painter.

I don't want to come across as insensitive, or morbid, but what are some odd causes of death you have come across?

I have spent a lot of time on Missouri Digital Heritage : Death Records Certificates and probably some of the strangest include:

A little girl who burned to death when her sleeve caught on fire as she was putting kindling in the wood stove;

A young man who fell off a street car in St. Louis and hit his head on the track;

A soldier who came home from the war, only to be killed in a train wreck;

And one poor lady who actually died of MORNING SICKNESS. (No, I'm not kidding).

20yrsinBranson

[graytabbie]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Not to sound morbid, but what are some of the most unusual causes of death you have found?

There are the more common causes of death, like heart ailments, strokes, accidents.

I have found some weird ones. One guy committed suicide with Carbolic Acid. A baby died of Anencephaly. One guy eventually died (he had it a while) of lead poisoning. He went insane. Died at 76. He was a retired painter.

I don't want to come across as insensitive, or morbid, but what are some odd causes of death you have come across?

Wow, that was one of my relatives that committed suicide with carbolic acid, although we think his wife poisoned him.

[sp2007]

My great-grandfather died in a car accident in 1921. Was it that common in 1921?

[wolfeyes]

sp2007..- Yes it was common back then for ppl to die in car accidents. I have a 2nd great-grandmother that died in car accident in 1926.. of course back then cars only did like 35 mph.. but her car went off the road rolled over she was thrown out and it landed on top of her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. I had to ask how someone can be driving 35 mph and have an accident.. but could have been a number of things I guess..animal jumping out in front of her or driver error..by over correcting once she went off the road.. who knows. The accident was just 2 miles from where she lived.

If you didn't notice some cars back then sat up high on skinny wheels, so I would assume they were very easy to turn over. Here is a pic of a car that most ppl owned back then... This is the same type of car my 2nd great grandmother drove..http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/phot...l-T_photo.aspx

[sp2007]

I realize cars were probably even more unsafe back then and so were the highways (converted horse trails). Just seems like the statistical probability of dying in a car crash were remote back then. Just not that many of them 90 years ago. At least that was my theory.

[wolfeyes]

Originally Posted by sp2007

I realize cars were probably even more unsafe back then and so were the highways (converted horse trails). Just seems like the statistical probability of dying in a car crash were remote back then. Just not that many of them 90 years ago. At least that was my theory.

But you have to remember 90 years ago..they were driving on mainly Non-Paved roads..specially out in the country.."wagon trails" bumpy rough dirt roads, sometimes the roadways went through swamps. And In some towns the roads were made of brick which can be very rough to.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I found a 14-month-old girl who died of second degree burns while playing near a stove.

Were homes more dangerous back then or were people just more irresponsible? Granted, this little girl did have like 6 older siblings, so that's a lot of kids to keep an eye on.