Death certificate handwriting (pic)

[Lemond1fficult]

Hi everyone

I got the death certificate for my g-g-g-grandfather from 1857 and can't read the cause of death, as I don't think it's a familiar condition in today's parlance.

Would love a hand reading it, if anyone's able?

I’m still seeing “scirrhous” - anyone else? - but even if it’s not that, I do think that it’s something beginning with S rather F.

The lower-case s on “seventh” does look different, but I think that’s because capital letters are routinely formed differently in this type of handwriting.

Four months certified means that the illness had been certified by a doctor

You don't usually write 'certified" in the cause of death column, though - either now or in the past - because, by definition, any cause of death on a death certificate is certified by the doctor, as we are the only people who can issue a certificate (apart from a coroner). So I find it interesting that it is on this one, and it might be a clue as to the cause.

flamed I think it looks like scirrhous .

To me it looks like it says
Fevirhous

But what that means I don't know

Its not a p because the P for phillips is completely different

Not relevant to your question but I used to live in Blaina.

I think I’ve seen “cert.” on quite a lot of old family history death certificates, though.

Wasn’t it the registrar who issued the certificates?

Most of my research is Scottish, so that could be a factor, I suppose (I don’t know if it would matter).

BogglesGoggles sorry to hear about your mum. From a doctor's point of view, though, respiratory failure is a cause of death, and fever is not.

Of course, I'm speculating like anyone else on here, and I'm certainly not claiming to have any expert knowledge of Victorian death certificates! I'm just trying to give the OP some clues. I think it's really interesting and unusual that the word 'certified' is in the cause of death column. Maybe though, it's something to do with being a miner, because they did tend to have their own doctors and hospitals, paid for by subscription. OP, if you work out what the first word is, please come back and tell us.

There was a mine explosion at Cwmtillery Colliery in May1857 (which is near Abergavenny). I wonder if his death could be linked?

Could it be the “4 months” that is being “certified” I.e. death certificate signed by different doctor, but the length of illness prior to death was acknowledged or certified by normal doctor?

I see scirrhous too

XX I've seen "certified" and a period of time written alongside an illness on lots of death certificates of that era, sometimes there is the name of the doctor but often not.

It's not a P or an S as there are examples of those in capitals elsewhere in the document.
It could be a J, I or possibly an F though it doesn't look like a copperplate F.

I thought 'feverous' too but with an odd spelling 'fevirhous'. The first letter doesn't look like the earlier capital S in 'Seventh' (although it does look like an archaic s a bit).

I think I’ve seen “cert.” on quite a lot of old family history death certificates, though

Interesting. I have done quite a bit of family/local history and haven't seen it, but it was all from deaths in England. Maybe conventions were different in Scotland & Wales?

I think it's 'scirrhous'. A scirrhous carcinoma was a type of stomach cancer - the 4 months would pro ably refer to how long he'd had it

Looks like sevi but the can't work out if it's an r or n after, followed by hous or hour

I'm convinced I've got it - there was a mining accident at Cwmtillery, in Abertillery on 27th May 1857. Fireshower = explosion. I wonder if the 4 months was when his body was recovered?

I think it is feverish over 4 months.

I used to do calligraphy.

I don’t think the s in seventh would be capitalised? Twenty seventh. Twenty Seventh. I’d write it the first way (but am prob wrong).

It looks like it begins with an S

Scirrhous. The way the lower cause rs are written is how my mum learnt in cursive. They are like our Rs but back to front

X posted with PurplePotato. I think his death was registered on 29th May 1957 and confirmed 4 months later, presumably when his body was found.

I see 'scirrhous' too. Started off reading it as sevirhous.

I am seeing Scirrhous .

www.lexico.com/en/definition/scirrhoma
Scirrhous would fit usage of the day.

Very unlikely, but Scirrhosis? (A misspelling of cirrhosis?)

books.google.com/books?id=DHOj9vGhuroC&pg=PP244&lpg=PP244&dq=scirrhous+oed&source=bl&ots=5HNbBz6sAl&sig=ACfU3U0VNj_t4MMTG8ePng9lWJsu8gh51w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicw-2_srDkAhUKWK0KHQEwAoYQ6AEwAnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=scirrhous%20oed&f=false

Scirrhous crops up again in an old text.

Yes, I can see scirrhous now.