Daily AncestorLues
Lues, from a Latin word for plague, was the medical name for syphilis, often used on death certificates in place of the plainer word.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that, untreated, can damage the heart, blood vessels and brain years later. Babies could be born with it.
On certificates the Latin lues or lues venerea could stand in for the plainer word, perhaps to spare the family. It is a reminder to read medical Latin on certificates carefully.
As seen in a recordCause of death line on an early 1900s death certificate
Cause: Lues; contributory: aortitis
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Daily Ancestor. "Lues." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/lues. Last checked 2026-10-01.