Bad Medicine Not?

This is a very interesting paper which might be read in conjunction with Bad Medicine by David Wootten - at least he recommends it as a counter view to his polemic. What is interesting is that the paper shows how difficult the statistics are to interpret, so that any statement about what caused the improvement in life expectancy is very difficult to pin down. Factors which might account for it are:

Public health improvements
Domestic Hygiene
Medical Care
Nutrition

There are some signs of improvements in the 18th Century in terms of maternity and infant deaths - if these can be believed then it is possible medicine made some contribution. But there seems to be no simple answers.


Medical and Demographic History: Inseparable? -- Woods 20 (3): 483 -- Social History of Medicine


Medical and Demographic History: Inseparable? -- Woods 20 (3): 483 -- Social History of Medicine

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