cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21883763
this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2026
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Strictly speaking correct, but back in the day, 40% of kids died before their 15th birthday, in large part because of smallpox, measles and diphtheria, the things we vaccinate for. It's not 100% like with food, but still very tragic.
Vaccines are 40% necessary for survival.
Unfortunately you'll also need to account for generally better access to nutrition in the modern era. The immune system has a better chance if you're not malnourished or starving all winter.
You could probably extrapolate this number by the death rates amongst just the nobility
But then you also have to account for all the processed garbage food we eat now also. There may be less kids starving now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the general quality of the food has also plummeted.
Not necessarily. Nobiles of the past had a diet similar to ours. Higher fat, carbs, sugars, more processed, not exactly healthy. They were also far less active then their servants and highly, highly, inbred. And while they had healthcare, I wouldn't necessarily call it good healthcare. Having access to more food energy helps but it isn't a magic bullet.
I promise it was a lot healthier than starving during the winter
As for the rest you're really relying on a generalization that's based on what is essentially the highest ranked nobles of the later Renaissance period.
In 1100 AD their marriages were insular, but not hapsburg level. And generally nobles were expected to have some martial prowess or at least look like they did.
But I think this comes down to the bigger issues of people lumping in the middle ages and the Renaissance, and to be completely fair no one specified either
Although in the modern era, you also run increasingly into problematic pesticides, forever chemicals and food deserts delivering only ultraprocessed food. It generates different types of issues.