What did this man die from in 1862?

Post date: 2024-03-23 14:35:21

I'm compiling information about convict deaths at New York's Auburn State Prison in the mid 1800s. The causes of death listed in the prison's reports are sometimes abreviated due to limited space. A 23-year-old man in 1862 is reported as dying from "Ph's and fistula in pe'o". Based on other deaths that year, "Ph's" is phthisis, an archaic term for tuberculosis. The meaning of fistula is clear. But do you have a guess as to what "pe'o" might be short for?

I'm not finding matches in sources like this or this. My best guess is some form of "peritoneum." There is little consistency in these records so other years are no help. The medical terms used occasional overlap with our current understanding of disease, but "fistula in pe'o" may not match with a contemporary description of a medical condition. Autopsies were occasionally done at Auburn, so this could be internal or external. For context, other causes of death that year include: phthisis, chronic peritonitis, congestion of lungs, consumption, disease of kidneys, chronic enteritis, softening of brain, lumbar abscess, tubercular phthisis.

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