Infant Mortality

DIED.

At Coney Island, on Thursday morning, the 25th inst., ARTHUR, infant son of Mr. P. Corrigan, of New York.

--Brooklyn Eagle, August 26, 1842

Unless I'm mistaken, it appears "the 25th inst." pretty much means "the 25th".

EH.net has a table putting the white infant mortality rate in 1850 (the first year they have a measurement) at 216.8, versus 5.7 for the year 2000. The mortality rate is defined as infant deaths per 1000 live births per year.

Even granting that the definition of infant mortality has likely changed throughout the years, you're still looking at a 1 in 5 chance of losing your child in infancy.

Can you imagine??? I love to imagine living in the "good old days" but when it comes down to it, I'm glad God put me "when" I am.