Jenny M Benson wrote: > Does anyone know what "Inflammatory Dropsy" would be called nowadays? > > This was the cause of death of an 8 yr old boy in 1863. > These were the symptoms https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0Po-vXkkaMUC&pg=PA617&lpg=PA617&dq=inflammatory+dropsy&source=bl&ots=iKVKzyrfyX&sig=ApInnsNg7ucFhxo0Mgf2fUs9hQk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzo6yXu8PKAhWj2aYKHUHKCXoQ6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&q=inflammatory%20dropsy&f=false -- Anne Chambers South Australia anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

On 1/24/2016 5:11 PM, Anne Chambers wrote: > Jenny M Benson wrote: >> Does anyone know what "Inflammatory Dropsy" would be called nowadays? >> >> This was the cause of death of an 8 yr old boy in 1863. >> > These were the symptoms > https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0Po-vXkkaMUC&pg=PA617&lpg=PA617&dq=inflammatory+dropsy&source=bl&ots=iKVKzyrfyX&sig=ApInnsNg7ucFhxo0Mgf2fUs9hQk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzo6yXu8PKAhWj2aYKHUHKCXoQ6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&q=inflammatory%20dropsy&f=false > > First I am not a doctor, so you can disregard what I am about to say. However when I was about 19, I had appendicitis with complications. The Appendix did not break but developed a pin hole that leak the material into the stomach cavity. After about two years a grapefruit size growth formed around the appendix. Symptoms: sever abdominal pain, difficulty going to the bathroom, could not eat, and other niceties. When I lay on my back I could actual feel the growth in my stomach. This was in the 1970 not the 1860. I was in the hospital getting antibiotics for several days before they thought it was safe to operate, and then in the hospital several more days after the operation. I was told a 100 years earlier I would have been dead. I have seen Inflammatory Dropsy in one of my young ancestors and always assumed that that is what caused his death. I suspect in Jenny's case that that was the cause of her 8yr old's death.

On 25/01/2016 01:47, knuttle wrote: > However when I was about 19, I had appendicitis with complications. The > Appendix did not break but developed a pin hole that leak the material > into the stomach cavity. After about two years a grapefruit size growth > formed around the appendix. Symptoms: sever abdominal pain, difficulty > going to the bathroom, could not eat, and other niceties. When I lay on > my back I could actual feel the growth in my stomach. > > This was in the 1970 not the 1860. I was in the hospital getting > antibiotics for several days before they thought it was safe to operate, > and then in the hospital several more days after the operation. I was > told a 100 years earlier I would have been dead. > > I have seen Inflammatory Dropsy in one of my young ancestors and always > assumed that that is what caused his death. I suspect in Jenny's case > that that was the cause of her 8yr old's death. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I was aware that dropsy was oedema and that "inflammatory dropsy" sounded more like a symptom than a cause, but thought that the term was possibly used for some specific condition. I have another relative who died of "Surfeit"! I doubt it was lampreys but wonder if it was caused by too much alcohol. -- Jenny M Benson

On Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:25 +1030, Anne Chambers <anne@privacy.net> wrote: >Jenny M Benson wrote: >> Does anyone know what "Inflammatory Dropsy" would be called nowadays? >> >> This was the cause of death of an 8 yr old boy in 1863. >> >These were the symptoms >https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0Po-vXkkaMUC&pg=PA617&lpg=PA617&dq=inflammatory+dropsy&source=bl&ots=iKVKzyrfyX&sig=ApInnsNg7ucFhxo0Mgf2fUs9hQk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzo6yXu8PKAhWj2aYKHUHKCXoQ6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&q=inflammatory%20dropsy&f=false > "Symptoms" is the important bit as many older death registrations listed only the signs (what others can observe) and/or symptoms (what the patient is aware of) without specifying the actual cause of death. Dropsy now known as oedema (accumulation of fluid in tissue, typically in the legs) can imply congestive heart failure or other cardiac problems but the mention of inflammation and the lack of mention of the part of the body affected IMU leads to multiple choices of the actual ailment. In some cases it can describe a person who has suffered a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). http://www.thornber.net/medicine/html/medgloss.html (Glossary of medical terms used in the 18th and 18th centuries) also refers to dropsy as a sign of kidney disease. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/oedema/Pages/Introduction.aspx describes further conditions which can involve oedema. With an 8y old boy you can rule out some things but you're possibly more likely to work it out by seeing if there was anything common among his siblings although if e.g. there was a dozen of then who all survived into old age then the actual illness is likely to remain a mystery.