Bromo > wrote in
:

> On 2/15/04 5:11 PM, in article
> , "Michel Boucher"
> > wrote:
>
>> Europeans had longer lifespans. My ancestor who arrived here in
>> 1634 died at the age of 82, his wife at the age of 84 and many
>> others of his contemporaries lived well into their 80's.
>
> It was not until the more recent era that lifespans became
> increased - you ancestor and that crew were quite an exception,
> though through basic hygiene lifespans reaches about 40-55 or so,
> previously it was unusual for someone to last that long given
> disease, etc.

You missed the point. They were NOT the exception; they were the
first generation of Europeans to live on this continent. There were
few diseases to start with, and fewer still that the French did not
have the secret to curing, including scurvy, which gave them a
comparative advantage over the English for two hundred years, in
terms of long-term establishment in the colder climate of the Saint-
Laurent valley.

Of course, I failed to say "Europeans arriving in North America had
longer lifespans", but as I was referring to native lifespans, I
thought the juxtaposition was obvious. I overestimated. My
apologies. Next time I'll be more explicit.

--

"I'm the master of low expectations."

GWB, aboard Air Force One, 04Jun2003