Daily AncestorAcute yellow atrophy of the liver
Acute yellow atrophy of the liver meant a sudden, usually fatal destruction of the liver that left it shrunken and yellow, with deep jaundice.
The name describes what doctors found: a liver that had shrunk quickly and turned yellow. IPUMS gives acute yellow atrophy of the liver its own code, and so does the 1911 Census Bureau manual.
On an old record it marks a short, severe illness of the liver, unlike the slow course of cirrhosis.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Cause: Acute yellow atrophy of liver, 6 ds.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Acute yellow atrophy of the liver." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/acute-yellow-atrophy-of-the-liver. Last checked 2026-10-12.