Nobody argued how many people died during the Industrial Revolution or before; quality of life, on the other hand... That being said. You cite a study implyin

Nobody argued how many people died during the Industrial Revolution or before; quality of life, on the other hand... That being said. You cite a study implying (you, not the study) the Industrial Revolution was what lead to lower death rates, so it's all good. But that's not what the study says: > These patterns are better explained by changes in breastfeeding practices and the prevalence or virulence of particular pathogens than by changes in sanitary conditions or poverty. Mortality patterns amongst young adult migrants were affected by a shift from acute to chronic infectious diseases over the period. "than by changes in sanitary conditions or poverty" [my emphasis] But wait! there's more! from the same study: > The available evidence indicates a decline in urban mortality in the period c.1750-1820, especially amongst infants and (probably) rural-urban migrants. "especially amongst infants and (probably) rural-urban migrants" ...where is the industrial revolution here? And if that was not enough: >Mortality at ages 1-4 years demonstrated a more complex pattern, falling between 1750 and 1830 before rising abruptly in the mid-nineteenth century. "rising abruptly in the mid-nineteenth century" turns out industrial revolution did in fact raise mortality and death rates