Daily AncestorNeurasthenia
Neurasthenia meant weakness of the nerves, a popular diagnosis in late 1800s and early 1900s America for exhaustion, headaches, low mood and irritability.
The word means weak nerves in Greek. New York neurologist George Beard made it a major diagnosis in North America from 1869, blaming the strain of modern life on businessmen and society women. Doctors explained it as exhaustion of the nervous system's energy.
It was a vague label, and Wiktionary calls it ill-defined. On a death record it rarely names the bodily cause, so look for a second condition.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Clara Witt, 41, F, W, Neurasthenia
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Daily Ancestor. "Neurasthenia." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/neurasthenia. Last checked 2026-10-10.