Interesting paper with a collection of studies on health, technology and economic performance.
How did the West become rich?
Amartya Sen,an economist and recently President of the American Economics Association, has pointed out that an important marker of the success of an economy is the health of its population. Our usual measures of the economy do not link with measures of health and well-being.
Figure 3 shows the decline in mortality from tuberculosis in the United Kingdom following the Industrial Revolution. You will note that most of the decline occurred long before there was any effective medical intervention. By a process of exclusion, McKeown concluded that, although there was considerable social disruption during the adjustments caused by the Industrial Revolution, eventually the improved prosperity affected all parts of society, leading to better distribution of food and improved nutrition of the population. His conclusion is that 75% of the decline in mortality rates, was largely through better resistance to infections, rather than conventional public health measures or medical intervention.
Prosperity or Decline
http://www.founders.net/
.
How did the West become rich?
Amartya Sen,an economist and recently President of the American Economics Association, has pointed out that an important marker of the success of an economy is the health of its population. Our usual measures of the economy do not link with measures of health and well-being.
Figure 3 shows the decline in mortality from tuberculosis in the United Kingdom following the Industrial Revolution. You will note that most of the decline occurred long before there was any effective medical intervention. By a process of exclusion, McKeown concluded that, although there was considerable social disruption during the adjustments caused by the Industrial Revolution, eventually the improved prosperity affected all parts of society, leading to better distribution of food and improved nutrition of the population. His conclusion is that 75% of the decline in mortality rates, was largely through better resistance to infections, rather than conventional public health measures or medical intervention.
Prosperity or Decline
http://www.founders.net/
.