Laid low at the moment. Resting, and hoping to not wake up to this view anytime soon. (Though I had a lovely conversation with someone who works with articulated skeletons, discussing their character of being mischievous and cheeky, always grabbing your hair or your jumper as you pass by. In her world, they stand together, giggling and conspiring... until exams when they are split up - and then they look so sad and lonely.)
The last thing I did this week before needing to lie on the sofa under a cat for a week was dash to the library on Monday to consult books FAR too expensive for me to buy. But as I made some notes, I came across the BEST table of information (yes, I'm a data nerd).
I'll share the highlights of "Causes of Death, year 1775, in the London Bills of Mortality" (which I very much encourage you to read out aloud, in the tone of announcing football scores):
Ague 5 - Bedridden 6
Bleeding 9 - Blood flux 3
Cancer 9 - Canker 0
Evil 0 - Grief 3
Headache 2 - Itch 1
Leprosie 6 - Scald Head 4
Rising of the Lights 0 - St Anthony's Fire 2
Thrush 1 - Tympany 1
Vapours 0 - Worms 1
Then there are the "non-natural" causes of death
Bite-Mad dog 1 - Bruised 2
Excessive drinking 2 - Found dead 2
Murdered 3 - Overlaid 4
Executed 24 - Fools etc 64
I don't understand even half of that list!
Of course, no one wants to play against Smallpox, who scored 2,699.
Except maybe Fever, scarlet, purple spotted 2,244.
(Thank you, vaccinations that we don't have these numbers now.)
I might have to buy myself a copy of "Health and Disease in Britain", just for the data tables! And it's £30 cheaper than "The Bone Book", which has such disappointing photos in it, but a useful reference.