[SampleMan]

But the inclusion of infant mortality rates in calculating life expectancy creates the mistaken impression that earlier generations died at a young age; Americans were not dying en masse at the age of 46 in 1907. The fact is that the maximum human lifespan — a concept often confused with "life expectancy" — has remained more or less the same for thousands of years.

Probably longer than that. But the statement is misleading. What we have today is a system of Mulligans. Got appendicitis? No problem, we'll do a simple operation and presto, you get a mulligan to keep trying for that maximum age. Got a bad bacterial infection? No problem take some penicillin and take another Mulligan. I'm 44 and have already gotten two Mulligan's (once at infancy and once at 24) for easily treatable problems that would most likely have killed me 100 years ago.

[brytlea]

That’s true. I had pneumonia as a baby and almost died, and if not for an oxygen tent and antibiotics I’m sure I would not be here now. I would probably also have died in childbirth with my first son. So, I guess I’ve had 2 mulligans myself! Of course, I just consider them blessings! ;)