My 3xgrandfather died of the same.....turned out he lost his mind due to syphilis which was very common in those times. mary lou -----Original Message----- From: Alwynne <alwynnem@melbpc.org.au> To: genbrit <genbrit@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sun, Sep 15, 2013 2:37 am Subject: Disease of the Brain Disease of the brain is given as the cause of death on a death certificate of 1849. I know that this can mean several things, including epilepsy, meningitis or mental illness. Does anyone if there was a common meaning around 1849 in London? Many thanks, Alwynne ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GENBRIT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message