How death has been recorded through the ages

Records of births, marriages and deaths have been used for centuries to keep tallies of population growth and decline, but it's only in the past 100 years that death certificates became uniform and mandatory in many countries.

Thanks to dedicated record keeping in ages past, modern historians can find it a great deal easier to chart the progress of medical history, particularly with regard to outbreaks such as the Black Death. The dreaded plague that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages is claimed to have consumed more than one third of the continent's entire population, and without reliable death records, its staggering effects would not be as well understood.

The deaths of notable historical figures such as kings and queens would typically be reported far and wide, but it was only relatively recently that all citizens were granted such representation. Death records are not only useful for keeping registers up to date, but can also serve to inform families about deceased relatives with whom they may have lost contact, and could even warn subsequent generations about hereditary conditions that they may wish to take a medical screening for themselves.

Death records can also prove highly valuable for police and other investigators, if the death may be considered part of a larger murder investigation. In some cases, multiple death records from the same region could even be useful for public health organisations - for example, signalling the possibility of toxic waste dumps or other dangerous phenomena, in the event that a high proportion of residents are found to be dying of degenerative illnesses such as cancer.

Death certificates were first introduced in the UK in 1874, before which it was not even compulsory for doctors to inspect the corpse and determine the cause of death. Today's judicial system requires death records for a number of reasons, from allowing relatives to obtain burial permits to claiming on life insurance policies held by the deceased.

The availability of death records< is another matter, with some jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, releasing information such as the deceased's name, date of birth and cause of death to anyone who enquires, while other legal systems vary in the amount of information disclosed. In some American states, death records published after 1990 may not feature the cause of death in order to comply with some non-disclosure legislation, such as HIV confidentiality where relevant. It is nevertheless possible for authorities and family members to obtain full details of these cases if requested.

Jeni is a freelance blogger, covering topics relating to personal finance, car insurance and more.