cause of death?

[Little Nell]

Just got another Purvey death cert.

Amelia Emma Purvey, aged 18.

Cause of death says "Hydroaemia 3 months, Confinement 14 days, Syncope"

Any explanations welcomed.

[Jessbowbag]

Syncope is akin to fainting, so maybe she lost consiousness 14 days before she died

-aemia is to do do with blood

[Muggins in Sussex]

At a guess - Hydroaemia - water in the blood?

[Jessbowbag]

Jess, if it was in that order then the syncope came after the confinement.


Syncope is basically "Slipped away".... I think Hydroaemia is something to do with either the blood or the lungs, and when it got really bad she was put into confinement and then she died two weeks later.

syncope is a temp loss of consiouness, Tom.

Syncope was a word we relayed to the ambulance crew on many an occasion when children at school had seizures.

[KiteRunner]

"Confinement 14 days" surely means she had given birth 14 days previously?

[chrissiebee]

Just got another Purvey death cert.

Amelia Emma Purvey, aged 18.

Cause of death says "Hydroaemia 3 months, Confinement 14 days, Syncope"

Any explanations welcomed.

Just Googled in 'hydroaemia', and nowt came up. The nearest was 'hygroma', which apparently is a watery growth under the skin. Don't know whether this condition would have been lethal or not - I ain't a medical person, and can't even stick a plaster on straight LOL! Sorry I'm not much help...........

Chris

[KiteRunner]

It is in my dictionary as hydraemia or hydremia - wateriness of the blood. But since she died in 1889 (assuming I found the right entry), it may have been a condition which we would call something else nowadays! I would guess it was connected with her pregnancy.

[KiteRunner]

Googling hydraemia comes up with a lot of definitions which say "wateriness of the blood; anaemia". Now anaemia is definitely associated with pregnancy!

[chrissiebee]

Googling hydraemia comes up with a lot of definitions which say "wateriness of the blood; anaemia". Now anaemia is definitely associated with pregnancy!

Which is probably why my Googling came up with nowt - I gave the wrong spelling it seems...........

Chris

[Pamdidle]

Dont think confinement is solely associated with pregnancy. You can have confinement with other illnesses, even a cold

[Little Nell]

Thanks everyone. Pam - you can be confined with an illness, it just means you can/t get out - but confinement as a cause of death must be pregnancy-related I think. Poor girl!

[chrissiebee]

Nell - wouldn't it be interesting to see if she did actually have a live baby? If it was a still-birth or miscarriage, I guess we would never know, eh?

Chris

[KiteRunner]

The only Purvey birth registered in Cirencester in 1889/90 was Frederick Ernest but he was born in the June quarter, which would be too early (Amelia died Dec quarter). So assuming she didn't give birth in a different place from where she died, it must have been a stillbirth (don't think a miscarriage would be described as "confinement" would it?)

[Little Nell]

Frederick Ernest Purvey was Amelia's half-brother, penultimate child of her father John by his 3rd wife, who registered Amelia's death.

Syncope is often given as a cause of death, but its vague and inaccurate, really.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Sounds like serious water retention and kidney failure to me.

Water retention is a common feature of preganancy and can be a symptom of serious problems.

I think this is yet another woolly "oh, that'll do" cause of death. Doctors weren't much use back then.

OC

[Little Nell]

As she died, hers wasn't!!!

[Keptin Thedark]

Perhaps what we know today as- Pre Eclampsia?

[Viv]

Just what I was thinking Keptin, perhaps toxeamia (pre-eclampsia/eclampsia) or diabetes in pregnancy maybe?

[Muggins in Sussex]

What a tragic way to die, Trish.

BTW welcome to the site.

[KiteRunner]

Trish, why would it state "confinement 14 days" in the cause of death box if it was just part of her treatment? I don't think the cause of death box usually includes the treatment.