Daily AncestorCaisson disease
Caisson disease was the 1800s name for the bends: pain, paralysis or death in workers who came up too fast from pressurized caissons under rivers.
Caissons were watertight chambers kept under air pressure so workers could dig foundations for bridge supports below the water. Leaving the high pressure too quickly let gas bubbles form in the body.
The same illness in divers is called decompression sickness or the bends. A caisson disease entry on a record usually belongs to a laborer on a bridge, tunnel or pier project.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, city death certificate, 1870s to 1900s
Michael Burke, 33, M, Laborer, Caisson disease
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Daily Ancestor. "Caisson disease." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/caisson-disease. Last checked 2026-10-10.