East is East and West is West? Comparing Historical Infant Mortality Rates in Taiwan and the Netherlands

This article compares infant mortality rates in two historical populations: one in Europe (the city of Nijmegen) and the other in China (the city of Lugang). The author investigates whether the Malthusian divide — between a preventive demographic system in Western Europe and a positive system in Asia — can be substantiated. The conclusion is that the differences in infant mortality were not as large or as structural as often assumed. Furthermore, the expected negative impact of the patrilineal family system on girls in China could not be confirmed.