Genealogy Chat

I received the death certificate on Saturday for an ancestor who died in 1838 of consumption aged 24. This term is no longer used medically, what would the modern equivalent(s) be?

I think It refers to TB (vague memories from my nursing days) Any way I have always assumed that it was TB Linda P

It is definitley TB. it was the biggest killer in history before antibiotics. (Chopin died of it) Bob

Definitely Tuberculosis, but I believe when termed as consumption, it refers to tuberculosis of the lungs. You can get TB elsewhere in the body. My own sister contracted TB of the bone, and I have heard of it in the bladder...mostly curable these days thank goodness. Dierdre X

Yes that's right TB of the lymph Nodes was called scrofula. It can affect many parts of the body including the bones which how it is Known to have been around for thousands of years. So consumption is pulmonary TB. Bob

Definitely TB- we did about this in school history lessons!

If you haven't already found it, there's a brilliant website which helps with queries like this: http://www.paul_smith.doctors.org.uk/ArchaicMedicalTerms.htm

How the h--l do you pronounce phthisis, or is this a bit of a leg pull ? John R

Maybe this is how you pronounce phthisis! Dierdre ;-))

John, I think it is pronounced as it is spelled F Th eye sis

Thanks, everybody. She left three young kids. I don't know if the husband remarried, but his name was Robert Hamilton so fairly common and might take a bit of finding.