Yes, syphilis was very common at the time. In this case, neither the lady's husband or any of her four children died of it, so I think it unlikely in this case. From what I have gleaned from the book recommended by Anne, around this time disease of the brain was usually the name for a clot, or, in other words, a stroke. However there were elaborate theories about the many causes of such clots, amongst them meningitis, epilepsy, many forms of mental illness, including that caused by syphilis. The book by Robert Bentley Todd writes about disease of the brain at some length. Cheers, Alwynne "Mary Lou" wrote in message news:mailman.4.1379362648.10969.genbrit@rootsweb.com... 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