St. Joseph Daily News 5 Nov. 1900 - Page 6
A.L. CURTISS died at his residence, 1806 North Twenty-second Street, this morning at 12:45 o'clock, age forth-eight years. He was a carpenter by trade and had been ill for some time. The time of the funeral has not been announced.
Interesting Note - I went back and looked at the 1900 Census for Buchanan Co, St. Joseph, Missouri and found Alfred L. Curtiss and family. This census had a column entitled: "Length of months out of work". The date was June 13th and his entry was "6". So, he apparently had been ill for almost one year.
Health Office
Curtiss, A L - W(hite) - Nov. 5 1900 - 12:45 am - PA (born) - 1802 N. 22nd - 48 - M(arried) - M(ale) - Catarrh Stomach (cause) - F.O. Reynolds, MD.
Causes of Death in the Late 19th Century mentioned in the Register of Deaths, 1893-1907
Catarrh (Catarah/ Catarrah/ Catarrh of Brain/ Catarrh of Head/ Catarrh of Stomach/ Catarrh on the Breast/ Catarrk/ Catarrk Pneumonia) - An inflammatory affection of any mucous membrane, in which there are congetion, swelling, and an alteration in the quantity and quality of mucous secreted. In America, especially, a chronic inflammation of, and hypersecretion from the membranes of nose or air passages. in England, an acute influenza, resulting from a cold and attended with cough, thirst, lassitude and watery eyes; also, the cold itself. Catarrh Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung tissue associated with catarrh and with marked evidences of inflammation of the bronchial membranes - often chronic.
From a list of archaic medical terms :
Gastric Catarrh — Gastric catarrh is essentially a form of disease due to wrong feeding. Through habitual eating of excessive amounts of food materials, aided by the consumption of equally excessive quantities of liquids, the mucous lining of the stomach becomes affected in tone and its normal action is interfered with. When strong tea, coffee, alcohol, strong condiments, sauces, pickles, etc., etc., form a regular feature of the dietary, the mucous lining begins to become seriously irritated, and to protect itself it throws off excessive quantities of mucous, which interfere yet further with normal digestion, and in this way catarrh of the stomach arises. Although catarrh of the stomach may be allied in the same individual 'with catarrh of the nose and throat, it is not the outcome of the dropping of mucus from the nose and throat into the stomach as many believe. The point is that wrong feeding habits which will set up nasal catarrh can also set up gastric catarrh in the same person .
Treatment — The taking of medicinal drugs for the relief of the condition, whilst at the same time carrying on with the same unwise feeding habits which have set up the trouble in the first place, is obviously not the way to secure a permanent cure. The only real remedy for gastric catarrh lies in a thorough cleansing of the whole digestive tract and the adoption of a scheme of diet which will allow the stomach lining to normalise itself, instead of becoming more and more irritated. For such a scheme of treatment the reader is referred to that for Chronic Indigestion, to be found in the following pages of the present section . If such treatment is followed consistently, not only will the stomach trouble be cured, but the whole general health will be greatly improved.
Unfortunately, Great Grandfather never recovered.
