CAUSES OF DEATH

Salvatore Lanzaro
born March 19, 1917, in Morganville, NJ
died September 4, 1917, in Morganville, age 6 months, 15 days

Father: Ciro Lanzaro (1881-1944)
Mother: Louisa Leier (1884-1920)

Cause of death: Cholera Infantum

This Salvatore was born 3 months after his brother, also named Salvatore died. Two babies, both named Salvatore, died in the farmhouse in Morganville just 9 months apart. Cholera Infantum, also called Summer Complaint, is a common, non-contagious diarrhea of young children, occurring in summer or autumn. Symptoms are those of cholera. It was common among the poor and hand-fed (bottle-fed) babies. Death frequently occurred in three to five days. Probably due to food poisoning from spoiled milk as was most common in hot weather.

Typically, after a meal was served at the farmhouse in Morganville, food was covered and set aside (left at room temperature) for the next meal. Refrigerators did not exist. There were only iceboxes. Infants and small children who had been recently weaned from the breast hadn't had time to build up an immune system, as had the adults and older children. If the child was started on solid food during the cooler parts of the year, the chances of ingesting spoiled food was less than in the hot summer months.

In little Salvatore’s case, the summer heat spoiled the food, his immune system was still too weak, and he became seriously ill. He suffered severe diarrhea and fever, and died within five days, on September 4, 1917. I'm pretty sure this Salvatore is also buried in the plot in St. Joseph's Cemetery (it says so on his death certificate), but there is only one Salvatore on the headstone.

LANZARA-LANZARO FAMILY WEBPAGE