We watched one of those history shows awhile back about ways to die in Merry Olde England, and it was a treat. Apparently, drowning in the river due to sodden petticoats was quite commonplace, as was dying in a fire thanks to all the open flames.
Toothache was another fairly routine cause of death—I had a toothache once so bad I almost put on extra petticoats and jumped in a pond—but before the advent of antibiotics, a really bad infection in the mouth frequently led to sepsis. What I didn't know was that before the introduction of cane sugar—one of those staple imports from the colonies, like tobacco and opium, upon which empire was built—oral health was actually quite good. People sweetened things with honey or fruit, which tend to be less concentrated and corrosive.
Once white colonialism sugar came along, tooth decay and other health issues skyrocketed, and of course now we have an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of othe…
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