Daily AncestorColic
Colic meant severe cramping pain in the belly from spasm, blockage or swelling of the bowels or other organs; it was a symptom with many causes.
Webster's 1913 defines colic as sudden attacks of severe abdominal pain from spasm, obstruction or swelling of a hollow organ, and lists kinds such as gallstone colic, kidney colic and lead or painter's colic.
On a death record colic may cover a blocked bowel, a gallstone, a kidney stone or lead poisoning, so look for other clues.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Daniel Shope, 41, M, W, Aug., Colic, 2 days
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Colic." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/colic. Last checked 2026-10-10.