many ancient societies had human sacrifice through painful methods so i wouldn't completely say that, but i get what you mean, it seems like people are more miserable in modern times than any time and debilitating mental illnesses like all that i have appear to have become more common. i'd say that over the last 200 years there has been a switch from communitarianism --> hyperindividualism and selfishness, and a lot of people now only care about profits. however on the other hand....yeah....a lot of torture and insane claims and not really any decent medical practices back then. it's 50/50. a lot of religious nutjobbery back then but then again there still is, and in the USA and most middle eastern countries it's considered okay to do a religious ritual involving genital mutilation of men at birth, aka circumcision
