Daily AncestorLiver complaint
Liver complaint was a popular 1800s phrase for any long illness blamed on the liver, from jaundice to cirrhosis; it names no particular disease.
Webster's 1913 gives complaint as an ailment or disease of the body. The 1911 Census Bureau manual says outright that liver complaint is not a satisfactory return and files it with other diseases of the liver.
Cirrhosis, gall stones and cancer of the liver each had their own title in the same manual, so liver complaint tells you only that the liver was blamed.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Hannah Bixley, 55, F, W, July, Liver complaint, 1 yr.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Liver complaint." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/liver-complaint. Last checked 2026-10-12.