Friday, December 24, 2010

Amelia died of PHTHISIS

Listed on her death certificate as the cause of death, is Phthisis.  I had no idea what this was.


Of course there is a website for causes of death in late nineteenth century:




TB was romanticized in the nineteenth century. Many people believed TB produced feelings of euphoria referred to as "Spes phthisica" or "hope of the consumptive". It was believed that TB sufferers who were artists had bursts of creativity as the disease progressed. It was also believed that TB sufferers acquired a final burst of energy just before they died which made women more beautiful and men more creative. In the early 20th century, some believed TB to be caused by masturbation.

It is amazing that no one in her family contracted Phthisis considering the close conditions.


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