Daily AncestorInflammation of the bowels
Inflammation of the bowels was a broad old diagnosis for illness of the intestines with pain, fever or diarrhea, much of it what is now called enteritis.
Enteritis means inflammation of the intestines, most often from contaminated food or water. In the 1800s inflammation of the bowels was a common entry for both children and adults.
For infants it was grouped with cholera infantum, dysentery and other diarrheal diseases that caused a large share of baby deaths. For adults it could also hide appendicitis or a blocked bowel.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Willie Pratt, 1, M, W, Aug., Inflammation of bowels
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Inflammation of the bowels." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/inflammation-of-the-bowels. Last checked 2026-10-01.