Cerebral Hemorrhage

Since this is the cause of death I tend to see more than anything else, I thought we should have a page about it on the Wiki.

Cerebral hemorrhages are bleeding either within the brain or inside the skull. The main causes are head injury (for people under fifty), aneurysms (weakened blood vessels that burst), hypertension (high blood pressure weakens blood vessels in the brain), malformation of blood vessels in the brain, and a malformation of blood vessel walls.

Symptoms include dizziness, seizures, paralysis, nausea, and loss of consciousness. Since the treatment for them is pretty involved, I am guessing there was not much doctors could do for a person who had one back in the 1920s and 1930s. That may be why we see so many of them in the files.

Here is where I got my info: http://www.csmc.edu/2424.html

SH 10 Oct 2007

Looking through the numerous cerebral hemorrhages, they seem to match the causes and symptoms listed above. In several cases, the affidavits or proofs of identity discuss high blood pressure history in the victim and symptoms like headaches and nausea. There still does not appear to be much of a treatment for cerebral hemorrhages, however, as the illness is usually responded to with a hot water bottle on the head or a similar treatment.

SH 28 Oct 2008

1964

A middle-aged Oakland man died in December of this year when he apparently had a stroke or epileptic seizure of some sort at the Soldiers and Sailors Club on Beechwood Boulevard.  The bartender's affadavit states that the man had ordered a drink, but the bartender did not serve him immediately since he was repairing a cash register.  The man started kicking the bar but ceased after being asked to stop.  Shortly thereafter he went into a seizure and fell off his stool, knocking several glasses off the bar and hitting the ground on his left side.  He subsequently began foaming at the mouth, sweating, and waving his arms before losing consciousness, at which point he was conveyed to Homestead Hospital. Official cause of death is listed as "Massive Intracranial Subdural Hemorrhage with Necrosis fo Brain Following Fracture of Skull, due to fall from Bar-Stool."  196412_143

MWB 13 Mar 2008

1972

A 44-year-old Turtle Creek man expired after he suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and a ruptured cerebral artery aneurysm.  What makes this file particularly interesting is that photographs of the man's brain accompany the paperwork.  While I am certainly no medical expert, it seems to be quite apparent where the artery occurred.  A large bulge is apparent in what appears to be an artery coming out of the middle of the brain.  Further evidence of this is the placement of a small ruler at this location, so this specific part of the photograph must have been relevant in some manner to the file.  197209_107

MWB 31 Mar 2008