The publication of Bills of Mortality became an often occurrence in London in 1592, with the outbreak of the Plague. And from 1603, when another outbreak started they were made on a weekly basis.
Artist: Unknown.
[109] In the time of Mary Gulliver's, the average life expectancy was just under 40 years.
This statistic reflects the high rate of infant and child mortality. Documents of that period indicate that
2% of live babies would die in their first day of life.
5% would not survive a week.
4% would die within the month.
13% would not celebrate a birthday.
36% died before the age of six,
24% between the ages of seven and sixteen.
Of 100 live babies who'd arrive in this world in the 17th century, 60 would die before the marriageable age of 16.
Causes of death would start with birth trauma, such as tetanus, (due to the use of an unsterilised knives or scissors to cut the umbilical cord; Diarrhoea, infection and gangrene.
Childhood diseases would include fungal infection, worms, whooping cough, diphtheria, dysentery, tuberculosis, typhus, typhoid fever, rickets, chicken pox, measles, scarlet fever and smallpox. Accidents were also featured in the annals of the day, such as drowning, either in laundry tubs, ditches, ponds, wells and the sea. Less frequent was burning, and ending this gruesome list is death by being run over by a cart or horse, or hit by a falling object.