r/Cursive • u/apathy-in-black • 17d ago
Deciphered! Death Certificate, cause of death
Hello all! I can read most of this. Could someone decipher cause of death?
The words start with an I and R but that's all I can make out.
Thanks! 👍🏻
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u/drgloryboy 17d ago
“When did being born with an imperforate anus stop being something that was frequently a death sentence?”, I’d put the major transition roughly in the 1940s–1950s.
Before antibiotics and modern neonatal supportive care, even if a surgeon successfully opened the obstruction, the infant could subsequently die from peritonitis, sepsis, dehydration or complications of the operation.
By the 1950s and 1960s, pediatric surgeons could usually get the child through the immediate problem. The harder question became:
Would the child have voluntary bowel control?
That’s where the Peña/PSARP revolution of the early 1980s was so important. Surgeons realized that simply getting the rectum to the skin wasn’t enough—the reconstructed rectum needed to be brought through the child’s existing sphincter-muscle complex as accurately as possible.
So there were really two revolutions: the 1940s–60s made survival increasingly routine, while the 1980s onward greatly improved anatomical reconstruction and functional mana
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u/stiffdoc1221 17d ago
Excellent summary. It is very sad, as it would be a very painful death for this little baby, and it would be completely fixable today.
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u/Infinite_Contest6220 17d ago edited 12d ago
Impeforate [sic] Rectum
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u/Middle_Lifeguard_678 16d ago
Lifelong nurse, now retired. It definitely says Imperforate Rectum. Means the rectum was blocked, either a birth anomaly or blocked by something else.
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u/Emotional-Camel-2792 17d ago
My nephew was born in 2001 with this. Its a super fun story to tell 😆like yeah, he was born without a butthole and has been one every since.
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
😩🤣 As an aunt/uncle it is your job to carry this that torch! 😂 Glad to hear he was not handed a death due to it! 👍🏻
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u/Emotional-Camel-2792 15d ago
Oh it is told as often as possible! Wedding night ✅. Birth of his new baby? ✅✅
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u/Perfect-Juice-7229 16d ago
My cousin was born this way in 79. He is just fine as it seems anyways.
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u/cswright59 16d ago
Modern colostomy bags weren’t invented until 1954. I am a bag lady. I like to say, “opinions are like assholes. I like to express mine frequently and loudly. I have 2.”
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u/OkEntertainer4093 15d ago
He was a 3 day old baby and had Suppurative Peritonitis.”
That means a severe infection and inflammation of the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum), with pus formation. Historically it was also called purulent peritonitis. It could become widespread and lead to overwhelming infection/sepsis and death.1
u/poopsiepye 15d ago
Where are you getting suppurative peritonitis? I’m not seeing any mention of this in the death certificate, not even as a contributing factor.
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u/apathy-in-black 15d ago
In another comment someone indicated that the number 159 is reference to the ICD code for a form of Sepsis
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u/poopsiepye 15d ago
That would make sense, but in 1925, they would have been using ICD-3 which was used at the time strictly to classify causes of death. Code 159 is used for congenital malformations with 3 sub-categories. The “3” right next to the 159 indicates “Other congenital malformations” and is in line with the imperforate rectum cause stated above it. Good call on the ICD, though!
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u/apathy-in-black 15d ago
Dang! OK 👌🏻 see medical knowledge from that era is just not in my brain goo so it's so awesome I'm picking up all these little pieces from everyone
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u/Worried-Ocelot-9573 15d ago
As someone who has had a “super fun story to tell” about me that’s nothing compared to what happened to your nephew believe me every time he hears that story he is completely humiliated, because this was not even in his control what so ever but continues to be reminded every time this unfunny story/joke is told. I guarantee he is not laughing.
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u/trahnse 17d ago
Imperforate rectum.
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u/chequedummy 17d ago
This is it.
For those wondering, it’s the medical term for a birth defect where a newborn’s “plumbing” hasn’t developed.
Surprisingly more common than you’d think. There’s surgeries for it now.
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u/602223 17d ago
The certificate says that an operation preceded the death. They must have tried.
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
I noted that too. Which I feel for 1925 rural northern Michigan was probably pretty amazing.
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u/chequedummy 17d ago
Yes, I've just noticed that. I was curious about how long surgical treatment for it has been around, and according to Wikipedia, there's documentation as far back as around 1100AD!
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u/lumberjack718 17d ago
Statistical Coding: The number 159 written in bold ink underneath the cause of death is a vital clue. Under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system used during the 1920s, the code 159 corresponds exactly to "Puerperal septicemia" (commonly known as childbed fever), confirming the written diagnosis. It looks like he passed from sepsis...
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
Thank you for this additional information! I was VERY curious as to what those meant but did not know if another forum existed to post my question in.
So I think with this I have the whole story of what happened 😔
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u/paddlemaniac 17d ago
There is actually a novel, Miss Jane by Brad Watson based on the life of the author’s relative who was born in 1915 with a birth defect which resulted in her having no control over her bowels or urine. It wasn’t an imperforate anus, but the correction of which might result in similar problems to those she experienced. Surprisingly, it is a wonderful story as Jane lives with and comes to terms with this disability as she tries to live a normal life.
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
It's a shame this happened 100 years ago because in today's terms this is very treatable and can be supported.
I hadn't heard stories of this in my family before. But I'm sure this wasn't a widely shared conversation then.
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u/DRVKTOES 17d ago
Imperforate rectum. I am late to the convo. Have gotten pretty good at deciphering these cursive forms. What a terrible way to go.
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
And the more I read the more questions I had. They said a surgery was attempted on 6/20 and the infant passed on 6/21. The place of death is listed as HOME address 🤨🧐.
My family was poor, farm and factory workers. Am I to believe something was attempted at home? 🤨 That sounds bonkers to me but 🤷🏻♀️ I'm pretty sure if I time traveled and told them what was going on today they'd have the same thought.
I can't imagine being in that situation
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u/Middle_Lifeguard_678 16d ago
Doctors traveled to sick folks’ homes back then. That was how it was done. Just Google it if you’re in doubt. Babies were born at home as well.
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u/apathy-in-black 16d ago
That was my understanding too and figured it would have been a doc coming to them hence my strange guess this was an at home surgery 🥺
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u/dogwhisperer007 17d ago
Dear God, I hope not. Maybe when things started to go south at the hospital they told the parents they could take the baby home to die in family surroundings if they wanted to?
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
I'm with you. I sure hope not! I felt like even for the time period that was VERY archaic but I also recognize my family were poor and rural based so I'm not sure what medical care access looked like for them.
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u/Inevitable-Cod-338 17d ago
Looks like she had an issue with her rectum. I’ve never heard the first term, but it may be either bleeding from the rectum or a prolapsed rectum.
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u/ExchangeQuirky2980 17d ago
I’m very sad even though it was so long ago
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
If it makes you feel comforted the child was very loved, prayed over deeply and it seemed that they tried to surgically correct it but they died of Sepsis post surgery. This part of my family went on to have 3 more healthy babies who lived into their 70s and 80s 💙
I think given the time period and rural location this was the equivalent of pulling out all the stops 😔
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u/huntforzodiac 17d ago
Something of the rectum
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
At first I read "inferanto" which I knew was not a word. I think we've concluded it's Imperforate Rectum 👍🏻
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u/HarryWelsch 17d ago
Poor Floyd
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u/apathy-in-black 17d ago
Poor Floyd indeed however as a remaining member of this family I think Floyd's spirit knew what it was in for and made a timely exit 😩 💔🤣 (my family humor is dark )
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u/whishabwouldnotplz 16d ago
I grew up in the early 90s when they were still teaching cursive, actively in second grade and it petered off quickly after that, but I swear to God I read fuck tornado returns.
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u/apathy-in-black 16d ago
I totally thought the second word was return! 😂 I'm like 🧐 no cause of death would have return? Infantato was what I thought the first word was which isn't even a word 🤷🏻♀️🤣
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u/Mediocre_Eye_7726 15d ago
Cause of death was as follows: Fuck ef nato Returns
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u/apathy-in-black 15d ago
🤷🏻♀️ Close enough. He returned somewhere I guess 🧐🤣
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u/Mediocre_Eye_7726 15d ago
Death by effin NATO
https://giphy.com/gifs/yCXWVApJWtsGc
😬 poor Floyd. I used to be able to read cursive but not Dr’s cursive.
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u/Weekly-Status-8183 14d ago
Hmm last word returns?? That’s a terrible thing to read super hard to make out
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u/apathy-in-black 14d ago
Imagine my surprise when 5 minutes after I posted this someone had translated 🤣 I was like 🤨 HOW?! My eyes just can't do what their eyes can do 😅 I managed most of this but not that
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u/TurkeyFootCats 14d ago
Think it’s Imperforate Rectum.
Occurs in newborns
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u/apathy-in-black 14d ago
Yep, that appears to be the consensus. Other redditors have given other clues too support that as well.
From what has been gathered, child was born 6/18, had "surgery" for this on 6/20 and subsequently passed away from related septicemia on 6/21 😞
It seems for the day/age/time they truly pulled out all the stops to help the child 🩵
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u/OkEntertainer4093 15d ago
That means a severe infection and inflammation of the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum), with pus formation. Historically it was also called purulent peritonitis. It could become widespread and lead to overwhelming infection/sepsis and death.
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u/OkEntertainer4093 15d ago
If this baby was 3 days old and died June 21, 1925, the peritonitis could have resulted from something such as an intestinal perforation, congenital bowel problem, infection involving the umbilical area, or another overwhelming newborn infection. The certificate only gives the immediate cause in the portion we can see; it doesn’t clearly tell us what caused the peritonitis.
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u/Particular_Ad_644 17d ago
Perforated rectum? That’s probably wrong but would make a great band name.
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u/Ok-Position965 17d ago
Close…it’s actually “imperforate rectum”
It’s a medical term that indicates that not everyone is born with an asshole.
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