Please help decipher cause of death for Margaret Grattan....

delmarco · Post by **delmarco** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:51 pm

Hello All:
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-644

I think it could be cirohis??? I couldnt believe my eyes when I read down the page and see that her wee daur, Bridget died within days, Im guessing marasmus is a form of dehydration or starvation, I would imagine that was common when a young mum died. What a sad time for Edward.

Thanks
Karen
<image URL added by LesleyB>

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:55 pm

Hi Karen
Its Phthisis - in other words what used to be called consumption, now TB.
Marasmus definition here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marasmus

A child of three months would be still largely breast fed I'd have thought, so put in a very vulnerable position if the mother became ill and /or died, unless you could find a wet nurse to take over, but even then I think it might have been diffficult to get the child to feed from a stranger. Very sad.

Not sure when bottle feeding came in but I suspect it was a while later than this.

Best wishes
Lesley

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:02 pm

For marasmus see http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... t=marasmus

David

delmarco · Post by **delmarco** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:18 pm

Thank you all. I swear this line of the family was just cursed!

Regards,
Karen

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:30 pm

Hi Karen
This is a bit off-topic but it sent me off on a tangent wondering about bottle feeding, when it became popular etc. and I found this site which suggests it was quite a bit earlier than I thought:
http://www.babybottle-museum.co.uk/

Seems bottles were around, of a sort, but you'd be lucky if you survived the experience as sterilisation hadn't quite caught on yet!

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **joette** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:55 am

It might not only be the feeding or lack of it that causes "marasmus" think Romania think "Dying Rooms of China think being left in a cot with no love,no stimulation,no sunlight.
Babies can literally pine to Death & can starve themselves to that point.
If the Mum had TB then her Milk would not be of that good a quality anyway.The pregnancy & confinement would have further weakened her & I suspect she may not have been breastfeeding anyway.
In those days usually the child was placed with a relative & fed from a bottle.She may not even had been allowed contact with her child.If they had been aware of her condition then the baby may have been elsewhere& as times were hard & many mouths to feed then may not have been able to have been well-nourished.
Bottle feeding was more popular amongst the upper-classes as they had the money to buy the milk!