My great-great-great grandmother, on my mother' paternal side of the family died in 1869 at the age of 54 and the cause was "softening of the brain."
Back in 1869 it seems that 'softening of the brain' could be anything from a stroke, dementia, or what happened when you fell and whacked your head hard enough.
What really disturbed me when I saw the country register that listed the cause of death was what I read one line above my GGG-grandmother's entry. A 50-year-old woman was listed as having died with the cause of 'suicide, cutting throat'!!!
I did some research because it just seemed so unlikely...death but cutting your own throat. I did find references to people doing such a thing but they usually, in this day and age, aren't successful if they get immediate medical attention.
My next thought was that she must fall outside of the 'normal' range for suicides but research bears out the fact that the suicide rates start to increase among the elderly.
But still, it just seems so CSI/Monk-ish...how did she cut her throat, she's left-handed so why was the blade in her right hand, the knife is too dull to cut soft butter so how did she manage to cut her throat...those are the questions I can imagine being asked in this day and age but back then...I imagine a husband calling up the local police and saying that his whack job of a wife had softening of the brain and then cut her own throat.
Posted by bbarton at January 9, 2008 10:54 AMI just got my great-great grandfather's death certificate and he died from "softening of the brain" I think It was a hemmorage, but what a weird vague term. Good luck with your research.
Megan
I imagine there were no phones and depending on where she lived maybe even no police. And if there were police there might have only been one who was appointed with no training. After all she was almost property at that time.
Posted by: Virgil on January 19, 2008 11:30 AM