Can someone explain the link of the lowered life expectancy to flu and pneumonia? I thought that these were deceases that were only fatal for people with compromised immunity.
Some strains of the flu are believed to be more deadly to the "strong" patients, due to a phenomena known as "cytokine storm" - where the strong immune system response directly contributes to death.
>"In February 1919…Edward's fever kept getting higher and higher…aspirin…was given to him by the 1/2-handful over and over…Edward sweated through his mattress…Dr.…could not save his patient.
[...]
A confluence of events created a “perfect storm” for widespread salicylate toxicity. The loss of Bayer's patent on aspirin in February 1917 allowed many manufacturers into the lucrative aspirin market. Official recommendations for aspirin therapy at toxic doses were preceded by ignorance of the unusual nonlinear kinetics of salicylate (unknown until the 1960s), which predispose to accumulation and toxicity; tins and bottles that contained no warnings and few instructions; and fear of “Spanish” influenza, an illness that had been spreading like wildfire." https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/49/9/1405/301441
I grew up muddy and dirty, eating anything I found in nature that was mostly edible (apples, ground cherries, berries, chewing bark and grass), as well as organic beef and pork (before we knew what that meant) and garden vegetables. That was closer to historical experience.
Also, basically no-one works in a sterile environment. There's a reason that so many places have hand sanitiser dispensers.