The germ theory of disease How long do most people live in Britain today? What are the main causes of death? How does this compare with 150 years ago? Why have things changed? Interesting to discuss suggestions before looking at answers in the following slides

Causes of death in England & Wales Describe the main trends and suggest reasons

percentage of all deaths UK in 1850 and 2000 year Life expectancy/ years Causes of death as percentage of all deaths Infectious disease Cancer Circulatory disease UK / 1850 estimates 42 50 2 15 UK / 2000 77 1 27 37   The drop in infectious diseases. This is in part thanks to the understanding of germ theory Increases in cancer and circulatory diseases are because we are living longer. These are mainly diseases of the old. The diagnostic categories were different in 1850. Researchers have made estimates based on accounts of the time and on later studies. We are living longer. What reasons do the data suggest to explain this?

Death rate from Tuberculosis Note that the death rate was declining well before the disease was understood. Explanations have included better nutrition and better housing but there is no agreed explanation Measures such as isolation would help prevent spread even if disease not understood Describe the trend Discuss reasons

Is Kenya today more similar to the UK in 1850 or today? Country/ year Life expectancy/ years Cause of death as a percentage of all deaths Infectious disease Cancer Circulatory disease UK/ 1850 42 50 2 15 UK/2000 77 1 27 37 Kenya / 2002 65 3 8 possible discussion points Kenya will have different infectious diseases from the UK in either period HIV causes 38% of all deaths, diarrhoeal diseases and malaria are major causes of death in children Unlike UK in 1850 knowledge and treatments exist now but Kenya cannot afford them Lack of clean water is still an issue Which set of figures are the most accurate? Is Kenya today more similar to the UK in 1850 or today? Suggest two differences, despite similar statistics