Could someone tell me what congestion of the bowels means as a cause of death?

Thanks!

here's a good link, although it doesn't give a true defintion of what this is ... sorry.
http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/English/EnglishC.htm

There is absolutely no way of being sure of what this diagnosis really was, particularly if it was 19th century or early 20th century. Diagnosis was very primitive and many diseases had not even been defined. Obviously the person had some problem with the bowels but what was causing it is anyone's guess. With old diagnoses it is best just to accept a general definition and that that could have been a, b or c.

Constipation

Bowel obstruction????

It would most likely be bowel obstruction (i am an ICU nurse and that is the closest thing I can think of). It is a stoppage in the bowel, the bowels can basically overinflate with stool and burst, which then causes sepsis (a blood infection of 'blood poisoning') and the patient would die.

Good information, thanks!! Do you happen to know what would cause this? My research subject was poor and died in 1886 at the age of 42.

Constipation would be the cause of a bowel obstruction...