Daily AncestorDropsy of the brain
Dropsy of the brain, or water on the brain, meant fluid building up in or around the brain, often given for children who died with fever, stupor and fits.
Dropsy meant a buildup of fluid, and hydrocephalus is the medical word for fluid in the brain. Some children were born with it, but many cases came on quickly with fever, drowsiness and fits.
The Scottish physician Robert Whytt described the illness in Observations on Dropsy of the Brain, published in 1768 after his death, and his work is remembered as an early account of tubercular meningitis. Many children recorded this way probably had that disease.
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Daily Ancestor. "Dropsy of the brain." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/dropsy-of-the-brain. Last checked 2026-10-01.