Decayed Bone

[Chris Dickinson]

I'm looking at the death certificate of a 'silk weaver' in Leek, aged 60, in 1845. A dominant industry there.

The cause of death was stated bluntly as 'Decayed Bone' - which sounds to me as though the doctor was all too familiar with the problem (arthritis, perhaps?). Was this an occupational hazard and why?

Chris.

[Jenny M Benson]

Post by Chris Dickinson
I'm looking at the death certificate of a 'silk weaver' in Leek, aged 60, in 1845. A dominant industry there.
The cause of death was stated bluntly as 'Decayed Bone' - which sounds to me as though the doctor was all too familiar with the problem (arthritis, perhaps?).

Possibly osteoporosis?

Was this an occupational hazard and why?

[Chris Dickinson]

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by Chris Dickinson
I'm looking at the death certificate of a 'silk weaver' in Leek, aged 60, in 1845. A dominant industry there.
The cause of death was stated bluntly as 'Decayed Bone' - which sounds to me as though the doctor was all too familiar with the problem (arthritis, perhaps?).

Possibly osteoporosis?

Indeed. More common in women than men though? Sorry, should have said that this was a male.

If either, that wouldn't suggest any particular causal relationship from silk weaving - but maybe it was very common in the area or maybe medical histories have mentioned this (like a tailor's bunion; or jaw decay in match-making factories)?

Chris

[Doug Laidlaw]

Post by Chris Dickinson

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by Chris Dickinson
I'm looking at the death certificate of a 'silk weaver' in Leek, aged 60, in 1845. A dominant industry there.
The cause of death was stated bluntly as 'Decayed Bone' - which sounds to me as though the doctor was all too familiar with the problem (arthritis, perhaps?).

Possibly osteoporosis?

Indeed. More common in women than men though? Sorry, should have said that this was a male.
If either, that wouldn't suggest any particular causal relationship from silk weaving - but maybe it was very common in the area or maybe medical histories have mentioned this (like a tailor's bunion; or jaw decay in match-making factories)?
Chris

At https://sackettfamily.info/ui46.htm, TB is mentioned as a possible cause.

"A decayed bone was extracted without anaesthetic. Brother Walton held
his hand."

It is a site about students for the Ministry, and not very well
structured sentences. According to Wikipedia, TB can affect "the bones
and joints (in Pott disease of the spine), among others."

HTH,

Doug.

[Chris Dickinson]

Post by Doug Laidlaw

Post by Chris Dickinson

Post by Jenny M Benson

Post by Chris Dickinson
I'm looking at the death certificate of a 'silk weaver' in Leek, aged 60, in 1845. A dominant industry there.
The cause of death was stated bluntly as 'Decayed Bone' - which sounds to me as though the doctor was all too familiar with the problem (arthritis, perhaps?).

Possibly osteoporosis?

Indeed. More common in women than men though? Sorry, should have said that this was a male.
If either, that wouldn't suggest any particular causal relationship from silk weaving - but maybe it was very common in the area or maybe medical histories have mentioned this (like a tailor's bunion; or jaw decay in match-making factories)?
Chris

At https://sackettfamily.info/ui46.htm, TB is mentioned as a possible cause.
"A decayed bone was extracted without anaesthetic. Brother Walton held
his hand."
It is a site about students for the Ministry, and not very well
structured sentences. According to Wikipedia, TB can affect "the bones
and joints (in Pott disease of the spine), among others."
HTH,
Doug.

Ah, thank you.

I would have preferred it to be an occupational hazard, but I shall put TB in my notes as the likely cause.

Chris

[Evertjan.]

Post by Chris Dickinson

Post by Doug Laidlaw
At https://sackettfamily.info/ui46.htm, TB is mentioned as a possible cause.
"A decayed bone was extracted without anaesthetic. Brother Walton held
his hand."
It is a site about students for the Ministry, and not very well
structured sentences. According to Wikipedia, TB can affect "the bones
and joints (in Pott disease of the spine), among others."

I would have preferred it to be an occupational hazard, but I shall put
TB in my notes as the likely cause.

TB of joints and bones was/is imho also/more probable from bovine TB,
probably in those times caused by drinking uncooked milk, next to human TB
from a primary lung infection.

However, causes of such bone diseases include, next to TB,
all forms of vascular deseases, including fractures where the local
vascularisatioin has become defunct, and all [other] sorts of inflammatory
infections.

Even in POTS disease, the decaying disk is caused by the vascular
disfunction.

[david1940]

Post by Evertjan.

Post by Chris Dickinson

Post by Doug Laidlaw
At https://sackettfamily.info/ui46.htm, TB is mentioned as a possible cause.
"A decayed bone was extracted without anaesthetic. Brother Walton held
his hand."
It is a site about students for the Ministry, and not very well
structured sentences. According to Wikipedia, TB can affect "the bones
and joints (in Pott disease of the spine), among others."

I would have preferred it to be an occupational hazard, but I shall put
TB in my notes as the likely cause.

TB of joints and bones was/is imho also/more probable from bovine TB,
probably in those times caused by drinking uncooked milk, next to human TB
from a primary lung infection.
However, causes of such bone diseases include, next to TB,
all forms of vascular deseases, including fractures where the local
vascularisatioin has become defunct, and all [other] sorts of inflammatory
infections.
Even in POTS disease, the decaying disk is caused by the vascular
disfunction.

This could be a case of osteomyelitis a disease of the bone,usually the
tibia.
I suffered from this when a child in the early 1950s and was saved from
numerous operations by the discovery of antibiotics. (I only had four)
Parts of the bone died and was ejected as splinters through a fistula
in the shin.
In the absence of antibiotics the infection could no doubt spread
throughout the body resulting in death.

[Chris Dickinson]

On Tuesday, 4 September 2018 21:12:26 UTC+1, davidm3 wrote:
<snip>

Post by david1940
This could be a case of osteomyelitis a disease of the bone,usually the
tibia.
I suffered from this when a child in the early 1950s and was saved from
numerous operations by the discovery of antibiotics. (I only had four)
Parts of the bone died and was ejected as splinters through a fistula
in the shin.
In the absence of antibiotics the infection could no doubt spread
throughout the body resulting in death.

That sounds horrific. Thank you for pointing this out.

Please see my other post.

Chris

[Chris Dickinson]

On Tuesday, 4 September 2018 11:45:47 UTC+1, Evertjan. wrote:
<snip>

Post by Evertjan.
TB of joints and bones was/is imho also/more probable from bovine TB,
probably in those times caused by drinking uncooked milk, next to human TB
from a primary lung infection.
However, causes of such bone diseases include, next to TB,
all forms of vascular deseases, including fractures where the local
vascularisatioin has become defunct, and all [other] sorts of inflammatory
infections.
Even in POTS disease, the decaying disk is caused by the vascular
disfunction.

Thank you. I'm glad that I brought this here, because I may not have spotted what now is appearing obvious.

The family were living in Mill Street, a poor part of town, where TB would have spread easily. I have this evening discovered that the eldest son died in 1831, the mother in 1834, and a daughter in 1835. The rest of the family moved elsewhere for a while.

So I'm wondering whether TB or another infection in the 1830s could eventually have caused the weaver's death in the 1840s.

Chris

[Charles Ellson]

On Tue, 04 Sep 2018 12:45:31 +0200, "Evertjan."

Post by Evertjan.

Post by Chris Dickinson

Post by Doug Laidlaw
At https://sackettfamily.info/ui46.htm, TB is mentioned as a possible cause.
"A decayed bone was extracted without anaesthetic. Brother Walton held
his hand."
It is a site about students for the Ministry, and not very well
structured sentences. According to Wikipedia, TB can affect "the bones
and joints (in Pott disease of the spine), among others."

I would have preferred it to be an occupational hazard, but I shall put
TB in my notes as the likely cause.

TB of joints and bones was/is imho also/more probable from bovine TB,
probably in those times caused by drinking uncooked milk, next to human TB
from a primary lung infection.
However, causes of such bone diseases include, next to TB,
all forms of vascular deseases, including fractures where the local
vascularisatioin has become defunct, and all [other] sorts of inflammatory
infections.
Even in POTS disease, the decaying disk is caused by the vascular
disfunction.

Pott's disease.

POTS is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, where there is an
excessive rise in the heartrate when moving from a lying/seated to a
standing position (as when getting out of bed or out of a chair):-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/

[Evertjan.]

Post by Charles Ellson

Post by Evertjan.
Even in POTS disease, the decaying disk is caused by the vascular
disfunction.

Pott's disease.
POTS is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, where there is an
excessive rise in the heartrate when moving from a lying/seated to a
standing position (as when getting out of bed or out of a chair):-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/

Indeed.

Pott disease" or "Pott's disease" is a form of tuberculosis that occurs
outside the lungs whereby disease is seen in the vertebrae.

POTS is something else, as Wikipedia correctly says here:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pott_disease>