Causes of Death

Here is a look at how, on a percentage basis, we bite the big one. I guess the big question is, "what do you want to do between then and now?"

 

CAUSES OF DEATH, USA, 2002

FORMAL NAME	INFORMAL NAME	% ALL DEATHS
(1) Diseases of the heart	heart attack (mainly)	28.5%
(2) Malignant neoplasms	cancer	22.8%
(3) Cerebrovascular disease	stroke	6.7%
(4) Chronic lower respiratory disease	emphysema, chronic bronchitis	5.1%
(5) Unintentional injuries	accidents	4.4%
(6) Diabetes mellitus	diabetes	3.0%
(7) Influenza and pneumonia	flu & pneumonia	2.7%
(8) Alzheimer's Disease	Alzheimer's senility	2.4%
(9) Nephritis and Nephrosis	kidney disease	1.7%
(10) Septicemia	systemic infection	1.4%
(11) Intentional self-harm	suicide	1.3%
(12) Chronic Liver/Cirrhosis	liver disease	1.1%
(13) Essential Hypertension	high blood pressure	0.8%
(14) Assault	homicide	0.7%
(15) All other causes	other	17.4%

And here is a look at how life expectancy has changed for different age groups over the years. It looks like modern society and medicine have done a wonderful job of preventing everything but old age.

source

Comments

[Swiss Miss]

And here is a really cool study on the effects of loneliness, and how it affects us on a molecular level: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070914/sc_nm/genes_loneliness_dc_2;_ylt=AiCy.uaUSrNe.FqFo3ZBvssE1vAI

Everywhere I look, I see our animal natures and I see that our minds and bodies are one.

Also, I watched a show on PBS the other evening about the first human migrations, that all humans on Earth are the ancestors of a single African male, and how our complexions and features changed in response to where particular groups migrated.

Science is so cool! Let's have a bacchanalia to celebrate it!

[Zen]

Mmmmm death. Fun for all.