Daily AncestorTympany
Tympany, or tympanites, meant a belly swollen and tight like a drum with gas, a symptom of blocked bowels, peritonitis or other disease.
The name comes from Greek for drum, a picture of the tight, swollen belly. Webster's 1913 defines tympany as a gassy swelling of the belly.
Causes include a blocked bowel, inflammation of the bowel and peritonitis. On a death record it names the symptom, so the disease behind it must be guessed from other clues.
As seen in a recordCause of death column, 1850 to 1880 federal mortality schedule
Infant son of Henry Moll, 5 mos., Tympanites
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Tympany." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/tympany. Last checked 2026-10-10.