I agree, the physical exertion of work, walking [or caring for the horses], farming, housekeeping, burned off stress as well as calories. This has nothing to do with Va. history, but I read a book about examining several thousand years' worth of Egyptian mummies, using the new, non-destructive techniques. They had a lot of TB and tapeworm cysts in various places, and very bad teeth [all that sand in the bread they ate], but not a single one, from ancient times up to Roman, was contaminated with heavy metals- arsenic, lead, cadmium, etc.- as every person on earth today is. Sad... Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Jan 11, 2007, at 11:01 AM, Diane Ethridge wrote: > I think the hard physical work, the fresh produce, the slower pace, > the > close family relations, fewer chemicals & pollution & other > advantages they > had probably off-set the extra fat in the diet. Whoever heard of > "Sleep > Deprivation" back then? > > Diane in TX > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html