Daily AncestorLocomotor ataxia
Locomotor ataxia, or tabes dorsalis, was a late form of syphilis that destroyed nerves in the spinal cord, leaving a stamping, unsteady walk.
Tabes dorsalis is a slow damage to the nerve tracts of the spinal cord years after untreated syphilis. Patients had shooting and burning pains, lost their sense of position and walked with a slapping, unsteady gait, the locomotor ataxia that gave the disease its common name.
Locomotor ataxia had its own code in the IPUMS scheme for the 1850 to 1880 mortality schedules.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Emil Roth, 49, M, W, Locomotor ataxia
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Daily Ancestor. "Locomotor ataxia." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/locomotor-ataxia. Last checked 2026-10-10.