At age 71, I am looking forward to as much of the next 20 years as I continue to live. Will the once greatest nation in the world regain its strengths, or is it the end? We are living in historical times. The Rise And Fall Of The American Empire.
I cannot think of any historical time I would like to live in, under the conditions that existed then. Dying from simple infections. 15% of women dying in their first pregnancy. Kids mostly dying in the first three years of their life? No thanks.
I just did a study on a municipio (like county) near me in Mexico. In 1877 I think it was, 169 people died of smallpox between March and October, all but one a child. As best as I can estimate the population of that municipio it must have been around 5,000 or so. Imagine the horror for the parents. The average age at death that year, all deaths, was less then 10 years old.
Let me add, though, that someone above made the usual misunderstanding. Not all died at 35 or 40. That year one person lived to be 90 years old. The average life expectancy was so low because most kids died young. They still today have a very special birthday party for three year olds. I am sure that started whent was a major triumph for a child's third birthday.