There is a glaring error on the entry for Lon Chaney Jr, in which the cause of death of given as a combination of beriberi (a treatable vitamin deficiency) and liver disease. Chaney's death was actually caused by heart failure, as stated on the death certificate. However, my correction -- which included a link to a copy of that certificate -- was declined with a boilerplate "unable to verify". No one could be bothered to look at the link, or make even a cursory check at a reputable source? It's a sorry state of affairs when Wikipedia's bio is more accurate than IMDb's.
Posted 2 months ago
GMJ, Champion
Elizabeth, Employee
HI there, thanks for flagging this. The certificate isn't readable to be verified; do you have any news articles or other sources that mention this? Thank you!
I suppose that the reason why Lon Chaney Jr. his cause of death is listed as "beriberi and liver failure" is because at the time Lon Chaney, he had a treatment for beriberi, cataracts and according to his friends, he had liver problems. However, at the time his wife refused to disclose the cause of death.
Based on: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/14/archives/lon-chaney-jr-actor-is-dead-at-67-portrayed-monsters.html
Honestly, I'm surprised that the certificate that you provided is considered unreadable. As someone who has done his family tree, this kind of handwriting is not rare. Maybe I just got used to it, but it seems perfectly readable.
PS: Ed Jones is right, even if you can read the certificate, if the staff says that the certificate is unreadable, your only possibility is to find another proof.
Based on: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/14/archives/lon-chaney-jr-actor-is-dead-at-67-portrayed-monsters.html
Honestly, I'm surprised that the certificate that you provided is considered unreadable. As someone who has done his family tree, this kind of handwriting is not rare. Maybe I just got used to it, but it seems perfectly readable.
PS: Ed Jones is right, even if you can read the certificate, if the staff says that the certificate is unreadable, your only possibility is to find another proof.
(Edited)
Thanks, that's much appreciated. Could it also be that people are less used to reading handwriting these days?
I can't see his submission, but if as he claims, this is the image that he provided http://vamporama.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1973-07-Death-Certificate.jpg
Then I affirm that I can read the image.
Then I affirm that I can read the image.
It is indeed the image we provided. Cheers.
Elizabeth, Employee
Hi, thanks for following up on this. It may be something off with my computer but the image is out of focus and I can't get it to enough clarity to read. The official URL you provided is sufficient, I'll push this through for you!
And IT IS NOT the handwriting. That is perfectly clear. It is the fine print explanations. You have to make a leap of faith that the cause of death was line one or line two.
Near as I can see from the small print is that cause two was the culprit that resulted in cause one. So I can see why the employee replied as she did. The certificate isn't readable to be verified. That fine printing confuses. The handwriting is not at issue.
Now I have determined from the death certificate that Mr Chaney died from complications of Arteriosclerotic heart disease. Yes this resulted in Cardiac failure. But the true cause is ASHD.
Now IMDb is never going to be as thorough as I am. They only approve or decline clear facts. The certificate is what it is. Meant to be interpreted. Just because the top line says Cardiac Failure does not make it definitive. Cardiac failure is the end result of the cause of his death. Arteriosclerotic H.D.
So your submission is flawed. If line two was left blank (No Arteriosclerotic H.D.) then you would be correct.
Near as I can see from the small print is that cause two was the culprit that resulted in cause one. So I can see why the employee replied as she did. The certificate isn't readable to be verified. That fine printing confuses. The handwriting is not at issue.
Now I have determined from the death certificate that Mr Chaney died from complications of Arteriosclerotic heart disease. Yes this resulted in Cardiac failure. But the true cause is ASHD.
Now IMDb is never going to be as thorough as I am. They only approve or decline clear facts. The certificate is what it is. Meant to be interpreted. Just because the top line says Cardiac Failure does not make it definitive. Cardiac failure is the end result of the cause of his death. Arteriosclerotic H.D.
So your submission is flawed. If line two was left blank (No Arteriosclerotic H.D.) then you would be correct.
I'm not an expert to determine which of these two should be listed on IMDb, but often IMDb doesn't list what is written on what you call "line two". As an example:
On IMDb, Lon Chaney is death is listed as (throat hemorrhage). That is true. However, the cause of the throat hemorrhage is bronchogenic carcinoma. IMDb doesn't list his illness, it lists the direct cause of death.
The problem is not that the certificate of death is meant to be interpreted. In fact, it Is very detailed. The problem, in my opinion, is that IMDb is sometimes inconsistent in death causes, you just need to check the list of causes accepted my IMDb to realize that.
Example:
There is a cause named (Suicide), this is a perfectly legitimate cause. However, for most of these cases, you could also list hemorrhage if you wanted to be more specific. There is also a cause named (Suicide by gunshot). You can notice that it is already repetitive. There is a lot more and you can go check by yourself.
Honestly, I believe that heart failure should be the cause listed, it is more recurrent than the Arteriosclerotic H.D.E Cardiomyopathy at least on IMDb. Plus, you don't have to google it to understand what it is.
On IMDb, Lon Chaney is death is listed as (throat hemorrhage). That is true. However, the cause of the throat hemorrhage is bronchogenic carcinoma. IMDb doesn't list his illness, it lists the direct cause of death.
The problem is not that the certificate of death is meant to be interpreted. In fact, it Is very detailed. The problem, in my opinion, is that IMDb is sometimes inconsistent in death causes, you just need to check the list of causes accepted my IMDb to realize that.
Example:
There is a cause named (Suicide), this is a perfectly legitimate cause. However, for most of these cases, you could also list hemorrhage if you wanted to be more specific. There is also a cause named (Suicide by gunshot). You can notice that it is already repetitive. There is a lot more and you can go check by yourself.
Honestly, I believe that heart failure should be the cause listed, it is more recurrent than the Arteriosclerotic H.D.E Cardiomyopathy at least on IMDb. Plus, you don't have to google it to understand what it is.
(Edited)
The correction has now being made.
