Premature death

From the website of Rik Van Hauwe, http://www.rikvanhauwe.be/overlijdens.1786.htm.

Fourty-one deaths were registered in the village of Denderwindeke in 1786 : 19 adults and 22 children. Maybe an exceptionally bad year, but not an uncommon aspect of our population history.

I already indicated that the situation did not really get any better before the 20th century - see the post "Kindersterfte vroeger".