Daily AncestorEmbolism
Embolism meant a blood vessel blocked by a clot or other matter carried in the blood; in the brain or lungs it caused sudden collapse or death.
Webster's 1913 defines embolism as the blocking of a blood vessel by an embolus, adding that embolism in the brain often produced sudden unconsciousness and paralysis. The plug was usually a clot that had broken loose elsewhere.
IPUMS groups embolism with thrombosis in its codes for the 1850 to 1880 mortality schedules, and puts embolism after childbirth with milk leg and sudden death.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Sarah Fry, 27, F, W, Embolism after confinement
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Embolism." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/embolism. Last checked 2026-10-10.