The haphazard method of genealogy research that I practice is fun because I follow threads that interest me at the moment, and since I am always juggling a lot at once because I’m a little hyper, it probably works best for me.
Nevertheless, this style has its limitations. I didn’t realize the extent, though, until I went to look up “causes of death” on death certificates for my grandfather’s family. Well, darn. They all lived and died in Kalamazoo–and apparently it is not easy to find death certificates in Kalamazoo. At least not from afar.
Out of 6 people–Grandpa’s parents and both sets of grandparents–I only have one death certificate, that of Richard DeKorn. When I pushed myself, I did find 4 of the other 5 on the death registers online. Then I emailed the County Clerk volunteers to see if someone can find the information for me. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one!
Grandpa’s mother, Cora DeKorn Zuidweg, isn’t even in the register. She passed away near the end of 1932, but I couldn’t find her the last few months of 1932 or even the beginning of 1933. I hope that volunteers can give me some insight into this issue.
Here is Richard DeKorn’s death certificate:
Here are some things I noticed of interest from the 1930 document:
Richard lived at 1440 Maple Street (not too far from Oakland Drive), not at the corner of Burdick and Balch. Does this mean that he had already moved with his second wife, Jennie, from the old neighborhood?
He died at New Borgess Hospital. So Borgess must have had that name at that time.
He had been retired for fifteen years from his occupation as a mason contractor. Since he was 78 when he passed away, he retired at age 63.
What does his cause of death state?
Secondary pneumonia 2 days.
Mucopurulent bronchitis 10 days.
Prostatic hypertrophy [interstial???] cystitis 3 months.
Is that last the same thing as prostatitis?
Does this mean that he had a UTI that eventually led to pneumonia?
If penicillin was first used as an antibiotic in 1928, what was the state of antibiotic usage in 1930? Were they being used yet? Did Richard die because he didn’t have an antibiotic for cystitis?
UPDATE:
Since I posted this earlier this morning, I’ve had some interesting info shared. Amy Cohen of Brotman Blog asked her medical expert about Richard’s cause of death. Here is what he said:
I would say with confidence that the ultimate cause of death was pneumonia–formerly known as the old man’s friend because it caused death quickly and with relatively little discomfort. It sounds as though he initially became ill with either a viral infection or had COPD (Chronic Bronchitis), which progressed to a pneumonia. Cystitis is any inflammation of the bladder, and it does not need to be infectious in nature. A man with an enlarged prostrate could have cystitis from inadequate bladder emptying and bladder distension. If a UTI was the primary factor, then the ultimate cause of death would have most likely been sepsis, not pneumonia.
As for antibiotic treatment at his time of death, none really existed. Sulfa-based antibiotics and penicillin may have been discovered in the late 20’s – early 30’s, but they would not be commercially available for another decade. Sulfa was being used in the 30’s, but Penicillin use didn’t really start until WW2 and probably was not widely prescribed until late 40’s – early 50’s. People not dying from bacterial infections is just another thing Baby Boomers take for granted.
I sure do! I was born in 1955, and I remember getting a lot of penicillin as a kid because I was sick a lot. It never occurred to me that my parents wouldn’t have had that same advantage.
Also, TAO (who writes a fabulous blog about adoption) shared some specific information about penicillin. According to her, it wasn’t prescribed until 1945, which is corroborated by Amy’s medical expert.
The Family Kalamazoo 
Sounds like you need an MD for this one. I will see if my medical expert can help.
Thanks, Amy! I am so glad you have a doctor in your family :).
I emailed you. 🙂
Thanks, Amy!
“For 12 years after his initial observation, A. Fleming was trying to get chemists interested in resolving persisting problems with purification and stability of the active substance and supplied the Penicillium strain to anyone requesting it. He finally abandoned the idea in 1940, but, fortunately, in the same year an Oxford team led by Howard Florey and Ernest Chain published a paper describing the purification of penicillin quantities sufficient for clinical testing (Chain et al., 2005). Their protocol eventually led to penicillin mass production and distribution in 1945.”
The above is under the sub-title “Foundation of the Antibiotic Era”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109405/
Oh wow, I had no idea it was so recent. So of course any infection Richard had could not be treated with antibiotics. Thanks for this!
TAO is correct. The manufacture of penicillin was fairly difficult at first, and the drug was weak. It was used in the US almost exclusively for the military during WWII. The first non-military patient to be given penicillin was a police officer (can’t remember where!). He was on the way to recovery but they didn’t have enough drug to completely cure him; the infection roared back and killed him. Always finish the course the doctors prescribe!
Old medical diagnoses are wickedly difficult to decipher. Several of my husband’s lateral ancestors died of “bold hives”. No idea what that is!
Bold hives! Well, those must have been something! Bold must be from the definition “having a strong or vivid appearance.” But I didn’t know one could die from hives. Unless they became anaphylactic shock? What an odd cause of death.
Thanks for the interesting info about penicillin. I had no idea. That poor police officer, thinking he was getting better only to have that happen.
Interesting piece!
In the film The Third Man, Harry Lyme was profiteering by selling the new wonder-drug penicillin on the black market, while military personnel were dying as a result of a shortage.
I would have thought that his career in masonry would have led to bronchial problems. In time, perhaps, this weakened his respiratory system and he contracted bronchitis and then pneumonia. Lots of coal miners suffered that way.
Andrew, I haven’t seen that movie. Wow, was it based on a true story? I wouldn’t doubt that plenty of people have done something like that. Look at that compounding pharmacist on trial right now for killing all those people.
Excellent point about Richard’s occupation possibly causing the bronchitis! I hadn’t even thought of that, but yes, he worked with that dust for decades!
Your research habits are similar to mine…whatever catches my eye at the moment…and trying to piece medical information can be trying!
Hah, yes, that is a good description of my research habits! Sometimes medical seems like the most difficult because while contemporary medical stuff can be googled the older stuff seems as if it can’t really be found by laypeople.
Prostates all men have and often have cancer of the prostate and often have it removed. I had that diagnosis and had it removed in 1975. I have continued with other symptons all through these years. Uti = means “undetermined infection” usually” can be cured.
On Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 7:20 AM, The Family Kalamazoo wrote:
> Luanne @ TFK posted: “The haphazard method of genealogy research that I > practice is fun because I follow threads that interest me at the moment, > and since I am always juggling a lot at once because I’m a little hyper, it > probably works best for me. Nevertheless, this style ” >
Ed, I didn’t realize you had had prostate cancer. My dad did, too. I’m glad you have been fine since then and hope you’re doing well.
Here is Cora’s Death Certificate on seekingmichigan.org. http://seekingmichigan.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16317coll1/id/538700
Kat, WOW! Do you ever rock! Thank you so much. This is absolutely amazing. It also shows she died three months earlier than had been “assumed.” This is fabulous.
You’re welcome. Glad it made you happy. If you do any searching on seekingmichigan you have to be creative sometimes and patient. Since the last name wasn’t most likely not going to be very common I just searched that. A lot of the results don’t show first names or whatever in the initial results so in this case I started by looking at Kalamazoo and she was the first one. Other times when you are looking for someone it’s just a matter of a lot of looking at images and such but worth it. Not all of the years have images on there yet but they do have information from them up to 1952.
anything ending in – it is is an infection. Prostatic hypertrophy is common in men as they age. It can encroach on the urethra to obstruct the outflow so many men feel an urge to urinate but pass little so urine builds up – this is often resolved by scraping away part of the prostate. This explains the cystitis – infection of the bladder. Urine is produced within the body so sterile but when it collects, bacteria can travel up the urethra to cause infection. Can’t see any link with respiratory problems, though it may have weakened him, made him less active so unable to fight what would be a minor respiratory infection hence the bronchitis. Secondary pneumonia means lots of phlegm in the bronchi, possibly due to being bedridden. This weakened his lungs so pneumonia was of a form that would not usually kill. There is/was a form of pneumonia caused by klebsiela that had little effect on the healthy but often killed elderly homeless drunks, so was called the alcoholics friend. They died peacefully in their sleep. Hope this helps, keep up the good work
Thanks for a lot of great info, Barb. I had never heard of kiebsiela pneumonia before. Very sad, but hopefully truly peaceful death and not painful lungs.
I think the plot is fictitious. It is based on a novella by Graham Greene. Harry Lime is therefore a product of Greene’s imagination. Nonetheless, the movie is well worth seeing.
I can’t look this up at the moment as my papers are in storage, but my grandfather Ted Browm, a coal miner, died of what I call “miners’ disease”, a range of respiratory and digestive ailments arsing from inhaling and ingesting coal dust. Ted had the support of a trade union, who supported time off to attend medical examinations (available on the National Helath Service). He was advised not to work in a dusty environment, which entitled him to disablement benefit and, perhaps ironically, an allowance of coal. After that the union sent him to a convalescent home at the seaside. Nonetheless, it did for him in the end. I guess your Richard, whom I assume was self-employed, would not have had these benefits, especially in the American healthcare system, and was probably in a no-work-no-pay situation.
What a shame that your grandfather had to go through that, but good that they took good care of him. Yes, Richard definitely worked for himself and would not have had any benefits. I know he smoked a pipe, too, as he is pictured with it in at least two photos that I have.
Fascinating! I have been able to find death certificates for a lot of my ancestors, but a few are still mysteriously illusive.
That is so frustrating!
Very interesting, Luanne. And fun that I’m behind and read this after your update. 😉
I am a stinker to post updates instead of new posts though!
Not at all! The beauty of a family history blog is that you run the show. 🙂
Says the lady who starts to tell an amazing story and then just stops right in the middle and makes readers wait!
😂
All very interesting, including the update. I had a student born in 1908 on a farm in Schoolcraft; he became a surgeon in Kalamazoo. Anyway, he was the first person I every heard use the term “old man’s friend” for pneumonia in the elderly. Indeed, a painless death.
Oh, interesting that he used that term. It does make sense. Part of me rebels against the idea but I guess we all have to go sometime.