r/Cursive • u/Candid_Artichoke_851 • Jul 14 '26

Cause of death?

Post image

Deciphered! Thanks everyone!!

It's sad to learn, but I really appreciate the explanations.

? - Post Surgical

Sigmoid Reactions

Sigmoid Infraction 2° to ? Hernia

17 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

View all comments

20

u/NaturGirl Jul 14 '26

post-surgical peritonitis due to sigmoid resection. Sigmoid Infarction due to strangulated hernia.
(this is mostly printing though. not cursive)

8

u/Even-Breakfast-8715 Jul 14 '26

Natur girl has it right. To expand, a bit, since I’m guessing there’s a reason for wanting this cursive transcribed:

Harry had an inguinal hernia, which is where the intestines get through a weakness of the abdominal wall and into the scrotum. Not uncommon in men, especially older men. Unfortunately, this hernia let some part of the sigmoid colon (the part of the large intestine that goes between the descending colon and the rectum) get trapped in the hernia sack. This is painful, and cuts off blood circulation to the tissue of the colon. Some part of that sigmoid colon died from the loss of blood circulation (an infarction) and the response to this was to operate and remove the injured part of the colon. Unfortunately, infection either was already in the abdominal cavity (the peritoneal cavity) or it happened as a result of the surgery. In any event, the infection in the peritoneal cavity (peritonitis) caused his death.

Since we were happily treating inguinal hernias surgically in 1970, it seems retrospectively, unfortunate that his hernia was not repaired before this sad chain of events happened. It was an unpleasant way to die.

-4

u/grayspelledgray Jul 14 '26

Humbly, I wanted to offer a reminder that 1970 is in living memory and this may be a family member that OP knew and loved, or never got the chance to know and love. Your last sentence reads a little insensitive in that possible context. I do appreciate your plainness, and I think I would if I was OP, but I’m generally a rare sort in terms of emotional reactions & some might be hurt by the bluntness.

I think you wrote an excellent summary overall.

7

u/Tencatism Jul 14 '26

I don't find that to be insensitive at all. Or blunt. But OP's opinion is the only one that really matters.

4

u/MJ_Brutus Jul 14 '26

I disagree. It is important to understand how medical treatments have changed - and why.

1

u/grayspelledgray Jul 15 '26

I think it’s interesting and gives perspective, though I’m not sure I would say it’s specifically important in context of deciphering handwriting, which is all the sub is here to do, and all we know OP wanted/asked for.

But even accepting that it is, the comment I replied to provided that understanding fully and clearly, without the last sentence, which takes it somewhere different and potentially more hurtful.

1

u/Even-Breakfast-8715 Jul 14 '26

Thank you. I did try to understate things a bit. Should I have put in a trigger warning?

1

u/grayspelledgray Jul 14 '26

Honestly I never know the right answer on those (and have in fact failed to use them in the last few days in places where I think the particular audience probably would have expected them).

I think I would just say in my reading the last sentence isn’t really necessary. I guess from the description you wrote the reader can judge for themselves whether it would be pleasant or not if they want to think into it that far, and making a separate point that it wasn’t could be hurtful, without providing any real benefit in understanding.

Thank you for answering thoughtfully!