Historical cause of death 1600s-1800s
What did cholera morbus mean on a death certificate?
On a death record, cholera morbus meant an acute attack of vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea, and despite the name it was not epidemic Asiatic cholera. In modern terms it usually pointed to acute gastroenteritis or food poisoning. The label existed long before the 1832 pandemics, so a cholera morbus death in 1810 does not mean cholera reached the parish early. Expect it on records mostly 1600s-1800s.
Also written on records as: English cholera, bilious cholera, summer cholera.
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Related terms
Browse the full genealogy records glossary for more occupations, causes of death, and legal terms.
FAQs
What is cholera morbus called today?+
Acute gastroenteritis or food poisoning, broadly speaking. Doctors of the period diagnosed without laboratory tests, so one label often covered several conditions we would now separate. This page explains historical record language and is not medical advice.
How was cholera morbus written on death records?+
Clerks and doctors also wrote English cholera, bilious cholera, and summer cholera. Spelling wandered from register to register, so check every variant before you decide a record is missing or wrong.
Where do these definitions come from?+
They are drawn from period dictionaries, government archive glossaries, and standard genealogy references, cross-checked against each other; provenance is documented with the dataset. Inside AncestorIQ, Deep Research reads the record itself and explains terms like this in context, against your ancestor's own document.
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