Obesity uncommon back then, on average people where younger, and there where only ~1.2 billion people alive in 1854 vs 8 billion today. I would be surprised if obesity related deaths topped 100,000 / year back then.
Your comment better illustrates my thought than me.
The thought being, while human nature may not change much across centuries, some vices like food and tech are now more refined in their distribution and effects than ever before.
The idea that things are similar but not the same.
Obesity uncommon back then, on average people where younger, and there where only ~1.2 billion people alive in 1854 vs 8 billion today. I would be surprised if obesity related deaths topped 100,000 / year back then.