Hygiene - Where Have You
Life expectancy rates have always interested me. We read about Biblical figures living well past 100, and yet most Europeans seem to have died quite young. Part of these averages were brought down by the many women who died in childbirth, and deadly diseases which swept through villages, wiping out entire populations. But what eventually made the difference in elevating longevity rates was, quite simply, hygiene. In medieval Europe, early Christian leaders declared bathing to be non-spiritual. Fortunately, this belief was limited to small regions and was short-lived. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, the popularity and knowledge of bathing and sanitation were on the rise. (After all, wasn't cleanliness next to godliness?) During the "Dark Ages" primitive soap making became an established trade. And the Roman baths and unique aqua duct systems were legendary. Across the pond, many of the British royalty were known for their not-so-healthy lifestyles, which might inc...