Listers, Without writing individually to all of the over 30 persons who have responded so far to my message below, I'd like to express my thanks on each of their Lists for their help, and give each List an update on the answers. First, following is my original query. I'll continue at the end ....... ************* Date: 1/8/02 I'm writing this to several Lists, so my apologies in advance to those of you who will read this several times ....... Is there SKS with medical knowledge who can explain something for me? My GGgfather died in 1864 of what was loosely termed "damned foolishness" in the family. 30 years ago his last-surviving grandaughter used this term and explained to me that he had ridden on a railway locomotive on some inaugural run and caught a "chill" or something like that, and died of that. Then this past year I found his death certificate, which says the cause of death was "peritonitis". In my meagre medical knowledge I can think of no way to suffer peritonitis from getting a chill .... but am I missing something? I have found that these old family stories usually have a kernal of truth buried somewhere, and so can't help wondering whether there is a connection. I do know that he died very suddenly, aged 39, away from home, within 24 hours after writing a hasty Will. Any help appreciated. *************** Well, most Listers were just as puzzled as I was at any connection between a "chill" and peritonitis. But several suggested that the symptoms of the peritonitis (fever, shaking, etc) might have been assumed by the family to be a chill caught on the ride on the locomotive. Since there was such a large response, I am just barely sufficiently egocentric to think that you might want to know more details of what I think is an interesting story (my feelings won't be hurt if you use the "page down" and/or "delete" buttons at this point - but I will keep track of any of you who do so) ....... Over 30 years ago, my great Aunt told me that her grandfather had died (about 30 years before her birth) as a result of a chill caught while riding on an open-air locomotive on the inaugural run of some railway line or some new locomotive of which he was particularly proud, having been part of the design team involved in the undertaking. This was all I had for the next 25 years. I didn't know when or where he died. Then I found tucked in an old book on the history of Dumbarton parish (printed 1893 and presented to my Ggfather [son of the deceased] in 1895) an old photograph on a heavy card, with the remains of an embossed seal for some "Board", of a very ancient (but new at the time of the photo) locomotive, not far advanced from Stevenson's "Rocket". Three men are in the photo, but far too small to ever identify. The photo was probably kept for over a century for some reason, and that probably was that one of the men was my GGgfather, the deceased in question. I sent a copy of the photo to a "railway nut" (my apologies if you are reading this, Colin) who pointed out that the locomotive appeared to be so new that it had not yet had any railway name painted on it, nor any number for the loco. The horizontal brass boiler can be seen to be shining. He also said that he believed it to be about 1863 or 1864 vintage! However, he could not identify the site of the photo, although it clearly is in some railway yard. I still do not have the location identified. About this time, I found my Ggfather in the 1861 census, at the family home in Bowling, Dumbartonshire, and his widow in 1871 in Glasgow. I also found his employee's railway pass on the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway, dated 1864, giving his occupation as "Locomotive Superintendant". The plot was thickening (and it wasn't even a dark and stormy night!). Skipping ahead a few years, I found his death certificate a couple of years ago, in September 1864, at the family home in the 1861 census, but the informant was a stranger to me, described as "occupier". And the cause of death was given as peritonitis!! Another pause, and then a few weeks ago I got his Will from the Scottish Documents site. Lo and behold, the Will gives his home address in Edinburgh, and his occupation as "Locomotive Superintendant, Edinburgh", and says that he was "visiting" the house where he died (but where his family lived just 40 months earlier). And it is dated the day before the death, and written by a brother-in-law who was a law clerk, noting that he was too ill to write it himself. My GGgfather was 39 at the time of his death. The fact that his death occurred away from home tends to support the family story that he died on some excursion. And to explain why no family member was informant. I suspect that the informant was a renter in the former home. In addition, it appears that no-one in the immediate family had time to travel from Edinburgh in order to see him before he died and so had to rely on 2nd-hand info about the circumstances of the death. The apparent speed of his death (from the hasty Will) supports the official cause of death of peritonitis. But I have no idea when the supposed ride on the locomotive took place. The "1863/4" photo now becomes more interesting. Was it the last (and only?) photo of him, taken as the locomotive (no carriages attached) left (from the Edinburgh area?) on its inaugural run, or to be delivered to its new headquarters, near Bowling? With him on board? There is no cabin on the locomotive, just an open-air deck with a brass boiler bolted on it. The whole trip would have been in the open air, wind-in-the-teeth, etc. Maybe the family were not that far off-base to suspect a chill ..... The locomotive was probably a real "bone-shaker", and if one rode it while starting to suffer appendicitis (but not wanting to miss the inaugural run of one's "baby"), could that have exacerbated the situation and accelerated a rupture? By the way, none of my Free Church ancestors would have said that he "died of damned foolishness". That was my own attempt at humour. But maybe not too far off the mark ..... So now I have a whole new set of questions, and may never get the answers. But then, look at how much I have learned in the past 30 years (really only the past 5 years). Any suggestions welcome ....... Unless specifically stated otherwise in this message, there is no intentional attachment on this e-mail transmission. Ken Harrison North Vancouver, Canada kenharrison11@cs.com