Daily AncestorTrismus nascentium
Trismus nascentium was tetanus in a newborn baby, usually caught through the cut umbilical cord, which locked the jaw so the baby could not nurse.
The Latin name means lockjaw of the newborn. The tetanus germ entered through the umbilical stump, often when the cord was cut or dressed with something unclean, and caused stiffness and spasms.
Before modern care it was almost always fatal: symptoms began about a week after birth, and most affected babies died within their first two weeks. The disease is now rare in developed countries.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant of Jno. Bell, 8 days, M, Trismus nascentium
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Daily Ancestor. "Trismus nascentium." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/trismus-nascentium. Last checked 2026-10-01.