Registration of the causes of death : regulations, and a statistical nosology, comprising the causes of death, classified and alphabetically arranged, with notes and observations, for the use of those who return the causes of death under 6 & 7 Will. IV., c. 86.

  • General Register Office Northern Ireland
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Registration of the causes of death : regulations, and a statistical nosology, comprising the causes of death, classified and alphabetically arranged, with notes and observations, for the use of those who return the causes of death under 6 & 7 Will. IV., c. 86. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    54 Monomania. Dementia. d Idiocy. 52 a Epilepsy. 53 a Hysteria. Tetanus. Traumatic Tetanus. Cramp. 56 Melancholia ; Partial Insanity. Mental imbecility; Incoherence ; Insanity. Congenital Idiocy ; malformation of the Brain. See 43. When lunatics die of Phthisis, Apoplexy, and other diseases, the cases should he registered “ Monomania, Phthisis,” &c. &c. &c. (Gall, Spurzheim, Burrows, Prichard, Conolly.) Epilepsia; falling sickness. Epi- leptic Fit. Hysterics ; Hysteric Fit. Trismus ; lock-jaw; opisthotonos ; emprosthotonos ; pleurosthotonos ; tonic spasm. (Mr. Curling.) (See 23d, 145.) Tonic Spasm of particular Muscles ; Spasmus. The Tetanus of Infancy (trismus nascentium) may be distinguished. Fatal cases of Tetanus are generally induced by wounds (Traumatic Tetanus) ; the nature and locality of which should be added. “ Cramp,” when fatal, may probably be regarded as a form of Tetanus. Convulsions Convulsio; Eclampsia; Clonic Spasms. The irregular muscular contractions, which cannot be referred to the preceding heads, are called “ Convulsions.” When the Convulsions occur in the course of other diseases, such, for instance, as “ Diarrhoea,” or are excited by teething (74) the cause of death should be registered “ Diarrhoea ; Convulsions,” or “teething; convulsions.” “ All spasmodic and convulsive actions have their source in one of three parts of the excito-motory system : the first series have their origin in the spinal marrow itself, the axis or centre of the system : I shall designate these cases by the epithet centric. The second series have their source in the excitor nerves, consequently at a distance from that centre: I shall denominate them the excentric. A third series, like the spasmodic tic of the seventh pair, in the course of the motor nerve.” “ Convulsions belong to the late periods, and the close of all the diseases of the nervous system, as on the other hand, repeated con- vulsions eventual]y affect the encephalon,” p. 3S, p. 71. (Dr. Marshall Hall.) On the Nervous Systetn.) It may be added, that convulsions are one of the most common symptoms of zymotic disease and poisoning. When the convulsions are excentric, the nature of the excitement should be stated. (Evatison and Maunsell.) Cephalalgia, Vertigo, Catalepsy, Ecstasy, Lethargy, Spinal Irritation, need scarcely be mentioned in a Fatal Nosology. a Neuralgia. b Tic Douloureux. Neuritis ? Ophthalmia or Ophthalmitis. Inflammation of the Eye. Purulent and scrofulous ophthalmia, and the other affections of the eye, may be distinguished when they are in any way connected with the cause of death With a slight modification, this remark will apply to diseases of the ear. note 71. See 57 Otitis (See the previous note.) Inflammation of the Ear. The nervous system is so important in mau, that its morbid phenomena have been examined from different points of view, and very properly referred to many distinct diseases, which sometimes co-exist, or are reciprocally causes and effects. All the distinct diseases which led to the death should be registered, and as much as is practicable in the order of causation; which appears often reversed in differ-
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