Daily AncestorBrain fever
Brain fever was an 1800s diagnosis for fever with delirium thought to come from the brain, often what is now called meningitis or encephalitis.
Brain fever, also called cerebral fever, was a nineteenth-century diagnosis for high fever with headache, confusion or delirium, believed to start in the brain.
Many cases match meningitis or encephalitis, but doctors also gave the label to collapse after emotional shock, a use made famous by Victorian novels. On a death record, an infection is the likelier meaning, though the label alone cannot prove it.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Chas. Webb, 8, M, W, Ill., May, Brain fever, 9 days
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Daily Ancestor. "Brain fever." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/brain-fever. Last checked 2026-10-01.