Causes of Death in 1632

The fourth episode of The Spooktacular looks at listed causes of death in 1632! It's a fascinating look into 1632, highlighting the main health issues and social conditions of the time. This list also shows the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by people and communities. By looking at these causes of death, we gain valuable insights into the daily struggles, medical practices, and cultural attitudes towards mortality, deepening our understanding of people in the 17th century.

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Transcript

Causes of Death in 1632

Hello everyone! It’s the fourth episode of the 2024 Spooktacular, and I thought it would be fun to try something different today after last week’s episode about The Donner Party! A few months ago, I saw an infographic online that listed causes of death in 1632, which I thought was really interesting. I thought going over this list with you all would be an interesting episode, and I think it’s a perfect fit for the Spooktacular. It’s a unique, sometimes macabre look into the everyday life of people in the 1600s.

I’m going to get started, but a few disclaimers first: This is for fun. This list is from an infographic that I found online. I don’t know where it came from, and can’t vouch for it being real or even accurate. We’re just having fun. If I didn’t know what the term meant, I Googled it, so a lot of definitions and explanations of medical terms come from that - thank you Google! Also … this infographic doesn’t say where in the world this list was from, but from the terms used, and what I saw in my research for this episode, I’m assuming England. And lastly … I’m going to be talking about some medical stuff that can be sad, sometimes gross, or just plain uncomfortable sometimes. But that’s why it’s The Spooktacular, right? Right! Having said all of that, I’ll get started.

There were 445 deaths that have the cause Abortive and stillborn listed. This is miscarriage and stillbirth. I realize that this is a terrible way to start this list out, but it’s alphabetical, so I’ll just be moving on.

1 person has Affrighted listed as their cause of death.

There were 628 people who had Aged listed as their cause of death.

43 people had Ague listed as their cause of death. This is malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering.

Apoplex, and Meagrom was listed as a cause of death for 17 people. Apoplexy is a term that can refer to a stroke. Meagrom is a severe headache. This word is possibly related to the modern word, ‘migraine’.

One poor person had Bit with a mad dog listed as their cause of death.

Bleeding was the cause listed for 3 people.

348 people had Bloody flux, scowring, and flux listed as their cause of death. Bloody flux is an old name for dysentery, a gastrointestinal disease that causes bloody diarrhea. Scowring is a term for tropical flux or dysentery.

The term Brused, Issues, sores, and ulcers was listed for 28 people. This is wounds, and sounds terrible.

5 people had Burnt, and Scalded listed as their cause of death. 

Burst, and Rupture was listed for 9 people.

There were ten people with Cancer, and Wolf listed. I didn’t know this, but apparently people used the word ‘wolf’ as a synonym for cancer because of the perceived connection between the wolf's devouring nature and the progression of the disease.

One person had Canker listed as their cause. The word ‘canker’ describes a sore, but it was also used to describe cancer. The image of cancer as a ‘canker’ was influenced by cultural beliefs about gender, illness, and the humors.

171 people had Childbed listed as their cause of death. This refers to childbed fever, which was an often deadly infection that women would get after giving birth.

2268 deaths on this list have the cause listed as Chrisomes, and Infants. Chrisom is an archaic term that refers to an infant who has died within a month of being baptized. The term comes from the white cloth or robe, also called a chrisom, that was placed over a child's head during baptism. If the infant died shortly after baptism, the chrisom was used as a burial shroud. It’s a sad fact that infant mortality was very high back in this time.

Cold, and Cough is listed as cause for 55 people.

56 people have Colick, Stone, and Strangury listed as their cause of death. Colick is also known as renal colic, this is pain associated with kidney stones. Stone refers to kidney stones. Strangury is painful urination that can occur when a kidney stone lodges at the bladder outlet, cutting off urine flow.

Consumption is listed as cause of death for 1797 people. Consumption was another word for tuberculosis. 

241 people have Convulsion listed as their cause of death. 

Cut of the Stone is listed as cause for 5 people. This would be from bladder stone surgery. In the research for this episode, I accidently came across a description of what this surgery was like in the 1600s, and … oh my goodness … no thank you. I won’t be describing it here. I’m just going to say it’s horrifying, and move on.

Dead in the street, and starved is listed as the cause of death for 6 people.

267 people have Dropsie, and Swelling listed as cause. Dropsie is an old term for edema, which is a condition where fluid builds up in the body's tissues, causing swelling. Something that could cause edema is congestive heart failure.

34 people have Drowned listed as their cause of death.

Executed, and prest to death is listed as cause for 18 people.

7 people have Falling sickness listed as cause, which is an old term for epilepsy. 

Fever is listed as cause of death for 1108 people.

13 people have Fistula listed as cause.  A fistula is an abnormal connection between two hollow spaces in the body, such as blood vessels, organs, or intestines. This connection can cause fluid to flow abnormally between the spaces.

Flox, and small Pox is listed as the cause of death for 531 people.  ‘Flox’ was an older term for a rare, severe type of smallpox infection that often resulted in hemorrhaging and a high mortality rate.

12 people had French Pox listed as their cause of death. This is the entry that made me want to talk about this infographic. I didn’t know what French Pox was, and when I looked it up and saw it was Syphilis … well, I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I mean … who was so mad at poor France that they started calling Syphilis French Pox?

Gangrene is listed as the cause of 5 people. Gangrene is death of body tissue due to a lack of blood flow or a serious bacterial infection.

4 people have Gout listed as their cause of death. Gout is an inflammatory arthritis that's caused by a buildup of monosodium urate crystals in joints and soft tissue. Symptoms include sudden, severe pain and swelling in the joints, often starting in the big toe. We know now that gout isn’t terminal, but it is chronic and progressive.

Grief was listed as cause of death for 11 people.

43 people have Jaundies listed as their cause. This is jaundice, which is a condition that causes the skin and whites of the eyes to appear yellow or green due to high levels of bilirubin in the blood. Jaundice is usually caused by an issue with the liver.

Jawfaln was listed as cause for 8 people. This literally means a fallen jaw, also known as lockjaw.

74 people have Impostume listed as cause of death. Impostume is an archaic word that means abscess or putrid swelling.

46 people have Kil’d by several accidents listed as their cause. Which … yikes!

The cause King’s evil was listed for 38 people. Known by different names, like scrofula or struma, King’s evil was a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands, once believed to be curable by the touch of royalty.

2 people had Lethargie listed as their cause. Lethargy is a state of abnormal drowsiness, sleepiness, or lack of energy and mental alertness.

Livergrown was a cause of death listed for 87 people. This refers to an enlarged liver.

Lunatique was listed as cause for 5 people.

15 people had May away themselves listed as cause of death.

Measles is listed as the cause of death for 80 people.

7 people have Murthered listed as the cause of their death. 

Over-laid, and starved at nurse was listed as cause for 7 people. Overlaying is a type of accidental death that occurs when a larger person sleeps on top of an infant, blocking their airway. Starved at nurse is basically the child not getting enough milk to eat.

25 people have Palsie listed as cause of death. This is loss or impairment of motion, feeling, or function in a part or parts of the human body – in other words, paralysis.

1 person had Piles listed as the cause of their death. This is another word for hemorrhoids.

Plague is listed as cause of death for 8 people.

13 people have Planet listed as the cause of their death. This was a term used to describe a sudden and severe illness or paralysis caused by a planet. People who were ‘planet-stricken’ were thought to be under the influence of malevolent planets and had symptoms similar to strokes, heart attacks, and aneurysms. Look, it was 1632, and they were doing the best they could!

Pleurisie, and Spleen was listed as cause of death for 36 people. Pleurisy is a condition that causes chest pain when breathing. I didn’t know this before researching this episode, but injury to the spleen can cause pleurisy. 

38 people had Purples, and spotted Feaver listed as the cause of their death. This is Typhus or meningitis.

Quinsie was listed as cause of death for 7 people. Quinsie is also known as a peritonsillar abscess. This is an abscess that occurs in the connective tissue behind the tonsil. It's usually caused by a bacterial infection.

98 people had Rising of the Lights listed as the cause of their death. Rising of the lights was an illness or obstructive condition of the larynx, trachea or lungs, possibly croup. Lights in this case referred to the lungs.

Sciatica is listed as cause of death for 1 person. Sciatica is a condition that causes pain along the sciatic nerve, which runs from the spine down the back of the leg.

9 people have Scurvey, and Itch listed as their cause of death. Scurvey can cause an itchy rash.

62 people have their cause of death listed as Suddenly, which … fair. 

Surfet is listed as cause of death for 86 people. Surfet is overindulgence, excess … immoderate behavior. 

6 people have Swine Pox listed as the cause of their death.

Teeth is listed as cause for 470 people. In the early 1600s, the London Bills of Mortality listed dental infections as the fifth or sixth leading cause of death.

40 people have Thrush, and Sore mouth listed as their cause of death. Oral thrush is caused by an overgrowth of yeast fungus in the mouth. It can develop suddenly, and is more likely to occur if you have a weakened immune system. The pain and burning can make it hard to eat and drink, and in severe cases, it can affect your ability to swallow or speak.

Tympany is listed as cause of death for 13 people. This is a medical condition in which excess gas accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract and causes abdominal distension.

34 people had Tissick listed as the cause of their death. Tissick is a cough.

1 person had Vomiting listed as the cause of their death.

And finally, Worms was listed as the cause of death for 27 people.

I think this is such an interesting way to look at what life, and death, was like in 1632! Yeah … it’s also really dark, but that’s what The Spooktacular is for! This list offers a fascinating look into 1632. It not only highlights the main health issues and social conditions of the time, but it also shows the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by individuals and communities. By looking at these causes of death, we gain valuable insights into the daily struggles, medical practices, and cultural attitudes towards mortality, which helps us understand people of the 1600s better.

Production and Marketing assistance provided by Stephanie Fuccio of Coffeelike Media

My sources for this very different episode were the infographic, Google, and Wikipedia.