X-Message-Number: 5049
From:  (David Stodolsky)
Subject: Re: Emortalism
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 95 23:09:29 +0100

In Message #5045 Doug Skrecky <> writes:
>  During the 20th century the average lifespan doubled
>  due to a decrease in disease associated mortality. Virtually all those now
>  over 65 years of age owe their continued existance solely to the medical
>  advances which occurred during the 20'th century. The 21st century may see

This seems to contradict a lecture on "Life course influences on adult
health" I caught a couple of weeks back. That doctor was under the
impression that no medical treatments before the last 15 years
had any noticeable effect, considering population statistics. Things
such as blood thinning agents are what he mentioned as significant
more recently. The changes in average life span primarily reflect 
reduced infant mortality. Aside from that, we are looking at an increase 
from about 54 years to about 70 years as an average life expectation. 
If we look at the impoverished persons in the UK, they have not
made even that much progress. And this is in a country with "National 
Health Care." Poverty reduction is the next big medical advance 
waiting to happen according to Prof. George Davy Smith, UK.

The big advances in the last century were due to sanitary engineering. 
The big ones this century are primarily due to other preventative health 
services such as vaccination. Medical treatment effects are just coming
on-line even when we look at the most advanced countries. If we can still
consider the UK in that category ;-).

dss

David S. Stodolsky      Euromath Center     University of Copenhagen
   Tel.: +45 38 33 03 30   Fax: +45 38 33 88 80 (C)


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