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Archiver > PALANCAS > 2000-04 > 0954944221


From: "Gregory J. Menet" <>
Subject: Re: [PALANCAS-L] Re: Life Expectancy
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 10:17:01 -0400
In-Reply-To: <DJNEJLHEAOKIDAAA@shared1-mail.whowhere.com>


Hello all-

Just a couple of thoughts on the issue of average life expectancies:

You have to consider the time frame any particular ancestor lived.
Naturally, those living during the period of wars are going to fall into
much lower averages. Thousands died in war, reducing the mean life
expectancy.

Also, as colonies developed, and time progressed, there were more remedies,
facilities, and treatments available. Those on the frontier had more
threats than those living in established New England Areas. Also,
professions are a factor. A lawyer or doctor would not have faced the same
job hazards as a miner or logger.

I have also found that there seems to be a "genetic" sequence, if you will,
in some families. In one line of my family, for example, nearly all direct
decendants lived over ninety- strong genes, maybe? Healthier foods
available in their regions? etc. Diet- what animals, fruits & vegetables
were available vary. Also, different ethnicities had different ways of
preparing foods. Some cooked more soups and stews, some used vast amounts
of lard.

Also consider epidemics, number of children in a family, etc.

I think it is unfair to use statistics to say how long a person "should"
have lived. There are thousands of factors that contributed to how long
any individual lived, most of which you will not find in statistics. It is
much more complex than saying what averages are. The trick to averages is
to understand WHY they were higher or lower than at other times, other
places. I'm not trying to upset anyone, just point out some factors that I
think have been overlooked.

L. Menet

Even now, we have no magic formula to know how long we will live.

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