Daily AncestorHydrothorax
Hydrothorax, or dropsy of the chest, meant fluid collecting around the lungs, which made breathing hard; it was usually a sign of heart, kidney or lung disease.
Fluid in the space around the lungs presses on them and causes breathlessness, especially lying down. Today it is called a pleural effusion.
Like general dropsy, it was a sign rather than a cause. Heart failure, kidney disease, tuberculosis and pneumonia were common reasons behind it.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Saml. Webb, 66, M, W, Feb., Hydrothorax
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Daily Ancestor. "Hydrothorax." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/hydrothorax. Last checked 2026-10-01.