Quote:
Originally Posted by janmcn
What was the life expectancy 600 years ago? I'm guessing it would have been about 30 years, or one third what it is now. A child born today could grow up to be the Pope and possibly live to be 110 years old.
Unfortunatly, our mental health research hasn't kept up with our rising longevity, and more people will suffer from dementia than ever before.
When the Pope said he is exhausted and unable to do the job, probably most senior citizens can relate. I know I can, and I'm even younger than the Pope.
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I had an ancestor who was born in 1850 and lived to 1956. My grandfather was born around 1875 and lived to age 97. I had a great aunt born around the late 1800s and lived to be 100.
It would be interesting to find out how long Popes lived hundreds of years ago. I think a good part of the reason that average life expectancy was short is because of a high rate of infant mortality. If you made it through infancy and childhood you probably had a decent chance of making it to old age.