Daily AncestorMortification
Mortification is the old medical word for gangrene, the death and decay of part of the body, often after a wound, frostbite or poor blood supply.
In medicine, mortification meant the death of a part of the body while the person was still alive, what is now called gangrene. The flesh turned dark, cold and then rotten.
It often followed injuries, infected wounds, frostbite or blocked blood vessels in the elderly. Mortification of the bowels described a fatal internal condition, so read the whole phrase.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Elias Baird, 63, M, W, Married, Penn., January, Mortification of foot, 20 days
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Daily Ancestor. "Mortification." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/mortification. Last checked 2026-10-01.