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James William DeCoursey II
(1862 - 1915)
MISSOURI STATE OF BOARD OF HEALTH
BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS
CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
1. PLACE OF DEATH
County Jackson
Township __________ Registration District No. 399 File No. 8796
or Village __________ Primary Registration District No. 1002 Registered No. 1068
or City Kansas City (No. German Hospital St., ______ Ward)
(If death occurred in a hospital or institution, give its NAME instead of street and number.)
2. FULL NAME James De Coursey
PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
3. SEX Male
4. COLOR OR RACE White
5. Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced (Write the word) Married
6. DATE OF BIRTH (Month, Day, Year) June 20 , 1 861
7. AGE 53 yrs. 9 mos. 4 ds.
8. OCCUPATION
(a) Trade, profession, or particular kind of work Creamery
(b) General nature of industry, business or establishment in which employed (or employer) _________
9. BIRTHPLACE (State or country) Kans.
PARENTS
10. NAME OF FATHER James De Coursey
11. BIRTHPLACE OF FATHER (City or town, State or foreign country) Unknown
12. MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER Mary Murphy
13. BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER (City or town, State or foreign country) Canada
14. THE ABOVE IS TRUE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE
(Informant) J.A. Butler 1
(Address) Kansas City Kans.
15. Filed MAR 25 1915 W.S. Wheeler Registrar
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16. DATE OF DEATH (Month, Day, Year) March 24 , 191 5
17. I HEREBY CERTIFY, that I attended deceased from Jan , 191 5 , to March 24 , 191 5 , that I last saw h im alive on March 23 , 191 5 , and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 9 a. m.
The CAUSE OF DEATH* was as follows:
Septecemia 2 (Duration) ___yrs. ___mos. ___ds.
Contributory (Secondary) Pylo nephrosis 3 (Duration) ___yrs. ___mos. ___ds.
(Signed) F.M. McCallum , M.D. March 25 , 191 5 (Address) 721 Lathrop, KC Mo
* State the DISEASE CAUSING DEATH, or in deaths from VIOLENT CAUSES, state (1) MEANS AND NATURE OF INJURY, and (2) whether ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, or HOMICIDAL. (See reverse side for additional space.)18. LENGTH OF RESIDENCE (For Hospitals, Institutions, Transients, or Recent Residents)
At place of death ___yrs. 1 mos. ___ds. In the State ___yrs. ___mos. ___ds.
Where was disease contracted, if not at place of death? __________
Former or usual residence _________
19. PLACE OF BURIAL OR REMOVAL Leavenworth Kans
DATE OF BURIAL Mar 26 , 191 5
20. UNDERTAKER J-A- Butler ADDRESS K.C.K.
1 The undertaker provided the information for the death certificate. Though he is listed as married, James was not living with his wife. In the 1910 Federal Census James is enumerated living in Kansas City, Missouri while his wife Anna and their son James Jr. are living with her mother in Leavenworth.
2 Septicemia (commonly known as "blood poisoning") is the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia) and is often associated with severe disease. It is a serious, life-threatening infection that gets worse very quickly, fatality rates today are about 20%. It can arise from infections throughout the body, including the lungs, abdomen and urinary tract. Today the infection is treated with broad spectrum antibiotics, which were unavailable at the time of James' death. (Penicillin was discovered in 1929, and did not become widely available for use as a drug until about 1941, during WWII.) In this case, the septicemia was probably caused by James' kidney problems (see below).
3 There is no condition called "pylo nephrosis." Given that James was septic, my guess is that it is supposed to be "pyonephrosis."
Nephrosis: Non-inflammatory, non-neoplastic (cancerous) disease of the kidneys.
Pyonephrosis is a condition where trapped urine in an obstructed kidney becomes infected. The collecting system of the kidney (pelvis and calyces) is dilated and filled with pus. The obstruction is most often caused by a kidney stone. Bacteria can enter the kidney through an ascending infection of the urinary tract or from the blood. It is typically associated with fever, chills, and flank pain, although some patients may be asymptomatic. Early recognition and treatment of acute infections of the kidney, especially in patients with suspected urinary tract obstruction, are very important as patients who develop pyonephrosis can deteriorate rapidly and become septic if the condition goes undetected. This disorder is relatively uncommon, though it can commonly occur in patients with upper urinary tract obstruction. Today the condition is treated by draining the kidney, usually by percutaneous methods under antibiotic coverage. Early treatment can usually salvage renal function.
Pyelonephrosis: Any disease of the pelvis of the kidney.
Pyelonephritis: Inflammation of the kidney and its pelvis, caused by bacterial infection. Can in combination with obstruction of the kidney lead to pyonephrosis.
