Ill Health: How to Discover the Cause of Michael J. Sullivan’s Death

The obituary said he had been in ill health for a long time.[1] Michael J. Sullivan, the youngest brother of my great-grandfather, John H. Sullivan, died on 31 October 1931.[2] He had been the president of the Sullivan Electric Company in Butte, Montana.[3]

My next thought was, what was the cause of his lasting ill health? The obituary was not forthcoming, however, there was more information on the death certificate. He died at home at 162 West Granite Street of “Uraemia” he had since 2 October.[4]

Uremia is when there is a buildup of waste products in the bloodstream because of untreated kidney failure. It causes nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and fatigue. Without treatment, it is fatal.[5]

Besides the uremia, he also had chronic myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart muscle. This weakens the heart muscle making it hard for the heart to pump.[6] Another secondary condition was chronic nephritis, which is an inflammation of the kidneys.[7] This is likely the cause of the kidney failure. He had both conditions since about January 1930.[8]

I was curious about what kind of treatment was available for someone with kidney failure in the early 1930s. According to an excerpt from The Body’s Keepers, if someone had kidney failure in the 1930s, death was the only outcome. The use of dialysis would not be common until well into the 1970s, although it had been used earlier with some patients, some successfully, some not so.[9]

It is always a good idea to look up the causes of death to get a better picture of your family member’s health.

#52Ancestors-Week 23: Health

This is my seventh year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe.

I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] “Mike Sullivan Taken by Death,” The Montana Standard, 1 Nov 1931, p. 2.

[2] State of Montana, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death, no. 38090, Michael J. Sullivan, 1931.

[3] “Mike Sullivan Taken by Death,” The Montana Standard, 1 Nov 1931, p. 2.

[4] State of Montana, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death, no. 38090, Michael J. Sullivan, 1931..

[5] “Uremia,” Cleveland Clinic (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21509-uremia).

[6] “Myocarditis,” Cleveland Clinic (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22129-myocarditis).

[7] “Acute Nephritis,” Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health/acute-nephritic-syndrome).

[8] State of Montana, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death, no. 8206, Michael J. Sullivan, 1931.

[9] “The History of the End-Stage Renal Disease Program, an Excerpt from The Body’s Keepers,” Mayo Clinic (https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/research-innovation/the-history-of-the-end-stage-renal-disease-program/).

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