Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thriller Thursday - Death by Tetanus

Maybe I've watched too many doctor/pathology/cop shows. But when someone says death was caused by tetanus, convulsions cause unknown, you have to wonder. And no, this wasn't in the 1800's but in 1947.  The victim, W. Lee Cropper was 81 years of age. Lee was a widower, his wife, Bird Kirtley having passed two years prior. Okay, maybe it wasn't obvious where he had been injured or cut, but certainly there must have been some sort of wound. Lee was a widower, his wife, Bird Kirtley having passed two years prior.



Copyright 2011, ACK for Gene Notes

5 comments:

  1. When I was in grade school, about 1955, s boy in my Catholic School class died from tetanus. We were all versed in your "guardian angel" looking out for you and I wondered where was HIS guardian angel.

    We all went to his funeral mass. No one ever brought in councilors to talk to us, we just prayed for him.

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  2. I don't think anyone thought it was necessary back then. And I bet you prayed that he wouldn't be in purgatory long.

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  3. Was this information from a death certificate? Have you been able to find an obit that might explain how this happened?

    School days ... yes I remember being terrified about tetanus or lock-jaw as it was quite often called in my area. Now I'm a little more level-headed about it ... years ago while on vacation my daughter jumped off a stone wall and a nail went through her shoe into her foot. I didn't panic as I might have if still in the frame of mind of a child, but calmly took her to a clinic where she received a tetanus shot.

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  4. Nira, yes it was. No obit that I can find online unfortunately.

    I had to take a daughter for a tetanus shot after she got bit by a gerbil at school.

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  5. When in grade school my friend Leslie died same year my teacher died. We were told Leslie went to Heaven and Miss Price died. No letters, funerals or prayers. It wasn't even spoken about in my home. Left a big black hole inside me. Frightening for a child in grade 4. I was much different with my own children. Thank goodness schools now recognize the need also.

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