life expectancy

[Guest guest]

A lot of people pre-modern era died earlier than old age of things

they would not die of today (in industrialized countries) such as

pneumonia and epidemics, and some cemeteries have a lot of victims of

a particular epidemic, but that doesn't mean the human lifespan was

shorter. I agree that the low life expectancy is more due to high

infant mortality--around the turn of the century life expectancy was

in the 30s but that doesn't mean most people died that young.

U.S. life expectancy is shorter than in countries with universal

health care, and beyond access to health care, those countries also

likely have a healthier diet as the capitalist engine isn't quite as

vicious, and most have more tradition in foods, whereas here

Mc's is considered a tradition. A lot of fatal illnesses here in

the U.S. are from diet- and obesity-caused disease. And then there is

medical error which is the 3rd leading cause of death (though some of

those victims might have died of their illness anyway I guess, but I

don't know the numbers). Cancer is a big problem everywhere I think.

Guns cause an awful lot of death in the U.S. and most of them are

suicides, so depression as a cause of death is important too. All

these causes were much less of an issue at the turn of the century,

but still, people can live pretty long sometimes with these illnesses

or get them when older.

Vicky

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> Well this does not support my ex hoppy of papering and taking photos

of old tomb stones and it was very rare to see these tomb stones of

people living past 50?��

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