But how many actually died around 40?
How many children and babies died, skewing the number down? If 2 two year olds and 2 seventy eight year olds die...
Many years ago, I calculated the life spans of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It clocked in at around 63-65, to the best of my recollection.
Of course, you’re talking about upper-class males, who would have been well fed and spared from dangerous physical labor. On the other hand, medical practice was primitive — just read about what George Washington’s doctors inflicted on him before he passed away at age 67.