If you were a Victorian, what would you have died of?

[AhoyThereShipmates]

Reading a children’s book to my daughter that is partly set in a Victorian workhouse and it got me thinking.

I had a broken collarbone aged 9, and a pulmonary embolism, and then of course childbirth. If I was Victorian any of these might have killed me, but my money is on childbirth. DH reckons he would have been carted off to an asylum with unusual thoughts and would have just wasted away. Go on, indulge me.

If you were a Victorian, what would you have died of?

I've never had a broken bone or dangerous illness, so ironically what would ACTUALLY have killed me would have been the potions I would have bought from the pharmacy to try and tackle the everyday lurgies I get CONSTANTLY. I should imagine I would have overdosed on laudanum or something that way.

I've had a septic throat and strep throat so I'd imagine either of them would have carried me off.

I was just pondering today how incredibly difficult it must have been to cope in very cramped living conditions with young babies and children . Whole families could live in a couple of rooms with no space for babies to crawl or walk properly. Floors were dirty with multiple hazards. Scaldings and accidents must have happened constantly with no access to doctors before the NHS for poor people. Not to mention the germs that would have caused disease and spread very quickly.

During the war my father was in a 2 room apartment with his mum, brother and sister, Aunt and her two children.

Were you hospitalised with either of those, or did you recover naturally after being very poorly? They're both viruses, so most people nowadays wouldn't receive any "modern" medical treatment beyond normal nursing care.

I’d have killed my mum and died before birth. I was an emergency c-section due to pre-eclampsia. If we’d survived that, the heart condition would probably have finished me off.

DS had a burst appendix, which caused a mass to form. We were told at the time that it was the only way the Victorians survived appendicitis. They were left with a very odd and distinctive walk.

Severely underactive thyroid, pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsillitis or mumps. Also probably would have ended up in an asylum

Domestic violence, probably. Kicking my ex out wouldn't have been allowed/frowned open and ex would've just continued to get worse and worse until he killed me.

I would not have been born. DM had to have her appendix removed while pregnant with me, so we both would have died.

Suicide or wound infection (it was pretty grim even with modern medicine)

I wouldn’t have been born because my dear little mum wouldn’t have survived my older sister’s breech birth. Then chronic tonsillitis, multiple sviral infections, and if I’d survived to adulthood while avoiding fun things like meningitis, rupture of an ovarian cyst which wouldn’t have been diagnosed before causing peritonitis. Hurray for modern medicine.

Sounds like my DH, in London, in very cramped conditions. His father’s trade meant he could get work, so the family moved north because housing was available. DH would probably have died of jaundice, he was in hospital with a severe case as a child.

Maybe tonsillitis as a child, otherwise maybe childbirth with DS1 (did women get stitched back up in those days?)

One of many severe ear infections as a child, I expect.

If not that, definitely pregnancy/childbirth.

Hmm, I might still be here, but would probably have no teeth.

300 years years earlier and I would most definitely have been burned as a witch.

Not sure if I'd have died from it but I'd be compelled lame in one leg and maybe have lost a foot.

As soon as I was born I would almost certainly have been sent to a baby farm and allowed to starve to death.

I had a lot of childhood illnesses so maybe something like whooping cough or scarlet fever would have ended my childhood. Or when older malaria, sepsis or bacterial dysentery could have killed me, though if I was in Victorian times it’s unlikely that I’d have been travelling in the countries where I caught them.

I’d probably have survived childbirth as I needed very little intervention though I did need stitches both times, one of which they got infected so it’s possible that would have got me.

I’d definitely be dead from blood cancer now though if the rest hadn’t got me.

Awww, that's so sad. 😥It's surreal that that was a thing.

I had an ectopic pregnancy when I was 20, so possibly that - or just your usual childhood illnesses as I grew up working class 😂 might not even seen my first birthday 😂😂

Did you write about it on here @Cherrysoup ? If so I remember your story well and often wondered how you are.

Either melanoma aged about 33 or sepsis from birth of second child at 32, whichever got me first.

Yes, different username. I'm experiencing issues and having to have IV antibiotics daily in hospital currently due to an issue. Drives me wild but yay for the NHS!

Childbirth. DS transverse lie so CS.