Daily AncestorAlcoholism
Alcoholism meant disease caused by long, heavy drinking; the word was first used in 1852 and appears on death records beside older terms like intemperance.
Webster's 1913 defines alcoholism as a diseased condition brought about by the continued use of alcoholic liquors. Wikipedia says Swedish physician Magnus Huss first used the term in an 1852 publication.
IPUMS gives alcoholism, acute or chronic, its own code in its scheme for the 1850 to 1880 mortality schedules.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Cause: Chronic alcoholism. Contributory: Cirrhosis of liver.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Alcoholism." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/alcoholism. Last checked 2026-10-12.