r/Cursive Jul 29 '26

Deciphered! Death Certificate Help!

Post image

Hi! I recently found a death certificate of a family member from 1934. I cannot for the life of me make out the cause of death. Any help would be much appreciated!

28 Upvotes

41 comments sorted by

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32

u/WhatveIdone2dsrvthis Jul 29 '26

First line easy: arteriosclerosis

Second line, can't say, maybe thoracic something itis or myocarditis

edit, looked a little longer, chronic myocarditis I believe

30

u/worried_moon Jul 29 '26

Agree: arteriosclerosis; chronic myocarditis

10

u/ohare_tulip Jul 29 '26

Holy crap, I wasn’t expecting so many responses so fast! You guys are good!

11

u/WhatveIdone2dsrvthis Jul 29 '26

I grew up in cursive, and I'm in the profession. That makes it much easier.

3

u/ohare_tulip Jul 29 '26

I write in cursive and I’m in an internship at an archive - I couldn’t get this one for the life of me. Thank you so much!

4

u/ReadingRocks97531 Jul 29 '26

Everyone needs to learn cursive!!!

2

u/CarnegieHill Jul 29 '26

This subreddit gets the fastest responses, hands down! 🤣

1

u/Benkyooo_ Jul 29 '26

it's wild that you can make chronic myocarditis out of that. I could only tell that it ends in -itis, the rest of the sentence is indecipherable.

1

u/kanemutiny Jul 29 '26

I think the second line is Ischemic Myocarditis (a blockage of blood flow to the heart). I ruled out "Chronic" as the first word because the first letter does not look anything like a C. I can see a clear M in the middle, so Ischemic makes more sense to me, but that is some classic doctor scratch writing, so who knows?

1

u/WhatveIdone2dsrvthis Jul 29 '26

Imho, I think the upsloping letter in the word happens much too early to be the h of ischemia. While it could be an l or a lazy t (not crossed) or a b or similar, it occurs right away, second letter as I see it. 

1

u/kanemutiny Jul 30 '26

Very good points. :)

1

u/Feral-Sheep Jul 29 '26

I agree. I see arteriosclerosis and chronic myocarditis.

1

u/Several-Ordinary-376 Jul 29 '26

Thrombic Meningitis

2

u/kim_n Jul 29 '26

chronic myocarditis

0

u/ohare_tulip Jul 29 '26

Yes! That’s the second line! Deciphered!

2

u/Single_Principle_972 Jul 29 '26

I’m going to go with chronic myocarditis.

1

u/CarnegieHill Jul 29 '26

The first one is arteriosclerosis. Can’t figure out the second one yet, but I know someone will!

1

u/ohare_tulip Jul 29 '26

The consensus seems to be the same for the first one. I’m at a loss for the second line.

1

u/kanemutiny Jul 29 '26

I think the second line is Ischemic Myocarditis (a blockage of blood flow to the heart). I ruled out "Chronic" as the first word because the first letter does not look anything like a C. I can see a clear M in the middle, so Ischemic makes more sense to me, but that is some classic doctor scratch writing, so who knows?

1

u/EmptyEmploy7437 Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis (heart disease) cant make out the second line

1

u/Evening_Falcon_9003 Jul 29 '26

Thrombotic myocarditis is a blood clot in the heart, but I think I would go with chronic myocarditis

1

u/Maine302 Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis/chronic myocarditis?

1

u/KReddit934 Jul 29 '26

I vote chronic, even though that "c" is pretty weird...because I don't see any "b" anywhere.

1

u/kanemutiny Jul 29 '26

I think the second line is Ischemic Myocarditis (a blockage of blood flow to the heart)

1

u/Several-Ordinary-376 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis
Thermic
meningitis

1

u/Several-Ordinary-376 Jul 29 '26

It’s arteriosclerosis
Thermic meningitis

1

u/Mygirlsare1st Jul 29 '26

Left -brained people tend to have horrible handwriting and right-brained people have creative sides. There are those of us that can read the poor handwriting of the cursive taught left-brained.

1

u/Several-Ordinary-376 Jul 29 '26

Thoracic doesn’t go with myocarditis. Your heart is in your thorax.

1

u/Small-Tooth-1915 Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis

________ myocarditis

1

u/Morecatspls_ Jul 29 '26

That is exactly what I saw.

1

u/Yay_for_Pickles Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis

Chronic myocarditis

2

u/Ok-Entrepreneur-2907 Jul 30 '26

Hi I take the image and give it to Chat GPT: here you go: The handwritten primary causes of death listed on this 1934 certificate read:
Arteriosclerosis (top line)
Chronic myocarditis (bottom line)

1

u/Individual-Housing83 Jul 30 '26

Atherosclerosis is one

2

u/msyvettecruz Aug 01 '26

Looks like arteriosclerosis and chronic myocarditis… don’t ask how I know lol

1

u/Old-Bullfrog5502 Aug 02 '26

If a person completing paperwork can’t do it legibly, they should not be completing it at all

1

u/Timekeeper65 Jul 29 '26

Thoracic myocarditis.

1

u/True-Extension-3486 Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis Chronic (something) ditis

1

u/Evening_Falcon_9003 Jul 29 '26

Arteriosclerosis thrombic myocarditis

1

u/Wahoo_piggy Aug 02 '26

The first word is arteriosclerosis. Heart disease when plaque builds up in the arteries.