Cause of Death

[JMR]

My Austin family are one of my solidest brick walls. Yesterday I was sent a death certificate for the person I think was my Gt Gt Grandmother, Hannah Austin. The cause of death was listed in beautiful legible handwriting as:

Hepotic Dropsy and Coma

Has anyone come across this cause of death before as I can't find an exact term in any of the old illnesses websites.

kind regards,
JMR

 

[p.risboy]

My Austin family are one of my solidest brick walls. Yesterday I was sent a death certificate for the person I think was my Gt Gt Grandmother, Hannah Austin. The cause of death was listed in beautiful legible handwriting as:

Hepotic Dropsy and Coma

Has anyone come across this cause of death before as I can't find an exact term in any of the old illnesses websites.

kind regards,
JMR

Hi Jill, Is that a form of liver failure.
Steve.

 

[juliejtp]

Heres a link to cirrhosis of the liver if you scroll down to definitions you will come across hepatic coma.

http://www.ndif.org/terms/4724-cirrhosis_of_the_liver

 

[JMR]

That's what I'm not sure about Steve!

The internet lists Hepatic Dropsy and Coma as alcoholism related, which certainly would be liver related, but this definitely read Hepotic and there is not doubt about it being an 'O' as the writing is very clear.

This was a women with 2 illegitimate children born 10 years apart. She had only been married for 18 months to Luke Moule who was born in Croydon, before she died. I have copies of some parish records which outline the lives of Luke and family with some hilarious off the cuff comments by the cleric. Luke and his brother were both expelled from school. It seems that after their marriage Mary Ann, Hannah's daughter took the name Moule, but after Hannah's death, Luke leaves her behind and Mary Ann went to live with her sister, Sarah and changed her name back to Austin. He died in the poor house, whilst both his step children still lived close by. Certainly was something going on there! Maybe alcholism fits!

JMR

 

[juliejtp]

This one gives a better explanation.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hepatic_encephalopathy

 

[p.risboy]

This one gives a better explanation.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hepatic_encephalopathy

Hi Julie
After reading that, I think my supper will wait till tommorow.

Steve.

 

[JMR]

Thanks Julie,

These make for really interesting reading. Do you think that Hepotic and hepatic have the same meaning? I keep going back to the certificate and it says Hepotic very clearly!

I also wonder whether 18 months into a new marriage she could have been suffering from an ectopic pregnancy which could have presented as swelling, bloating etc. Did they know what that was back then?

Sorry to put you off your supper, Steve!

JMR

 

[juliejtp]

I dont know about the ectopic pregnancy but when I put in hepotic into the Cambridge dictionary word not found but hepatic came up.

 

[juliejtp]

Heres Wikipaedia's report on ectopic pregency.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubal_pregnancy

 

[JMR]

THanks so much Julie. I am beginning to think that there must have been a misspelling on the death certificate. I found this web-site:

www.antiquusmorbus.com

It 's a very useful website, but it didn't have this disease either, so I email them with a query and got a reply this morning saying that it would have been hepatic dropsy and coma as you suggested in the first place Julie.

Thanks for your help it is much appreciated!

JMR