There was a random process. Plenty of people lived to be 90, and plenty of people died at birth.
The difference was that a random cut could turn into an infection and kill you. Hannibal lost vision in one eye due to an infection. Prior to antibiotics, you never knew if an infection would:
- Pass;
- Disable you; or
- Kill you
Same thing for a lot of other medical issues, as well as non-medical ones (such as a famine, bandits, or a random army passing through).
The difference was that a random cut could turn into an infection and kill you. Hannibal lost vision in one eye due to an infection. Prior to antibiotics, you never knew if an infection would:
- Pass;
- Disable you; or
- Kill you
Same thing for a lot of other medical issues, as well as non-medical ones (such as a famine, bandits, or a random army passing through).