Thank you, science. Again.

[GoSeminoles!]

The NY Times today has a lengthy article on the astonishing changes in human health in the last 100 years. Basically, in the industrialized world humans have gone from on average being sick and weakly to big and healthy. Thankfully, now the changes appear to be spreading to the rest of the world. Why the big change? Vaccines, antibiotics, and better diet. In other words, the products of science. A shout of thanks to the hundreds of thousands of scientists involved in making these things a reality over the last century.

The Keller family illustrates what may prove to be one of the most striking shifts in human existence — a change from small, relatively weak and sickly people to humans who are so big and robust that their ancestors seem almost unrecognizable.

New research from around the world has begun to reveal a picture of humans today that is so different from what it was in the past that scientists say they are startled. Over the past 100 years, says one researcher, Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago, humans in the industrialized world have undergone “a form of evolution that is unique not only to humankind, but unique among the 7,000 or so generations of humans who have ever inhabited the earth.”

The biggest surprise emerging from the new studies is that many chronic ailments like heart disease, lung disease and arthritis are occurring an average of 10 to 25 years later than they used to. There is also less disability among older people today, according to a federal study that directly measures it. And that is not just because medical treatments like cataract surgery keep people functioning. Human bodies are simply not breaking down the way they did before.

Even the human mind seems improved. The average I.Q. has been increasing for decades, and at least one study found that a person’s chances of having dementia in old age appeared to have fallen in recent years.

In 1900, 13 percent of people who were 65 could expect to see 85. Now, nearly half of 65-year-olds can expect to live that long.


People even look different today. American men, for example, are nearly 3 inches taller than they were 100 years ago and about 50 pounds heavier.

Ediited to add Mod Note : Thread moved from Creation/Evolution to News and Current events because it is off topic for creation/evolution. Thanks -Angel4Truth Debate Team Moderator

 

[MrGoodBytes]

But does all that progress REALLY help us? I mean, everybody writes emails, but no one talks to real people anymore!

Just kidding. Praise the scientists!

 

[Pats]

American men, for example, are nearly 3 inches taller than they were 100 years ago and about 50 pounds heavier.

Is that good?



I work in the medical feild. Although I am a layman and not a professional, I have a lot of exposure.

The work that physicians do is often under appreciated.

I once heard a physician say that he wanted his sons to go into law and not medicine because it pays more to sue a person than to save a person. A specialist sees a patient in the ICU in the states for around $100 per day, yet is sued for the hudred thousands and millions if a jury of laymen feel they made a mistake.

Thank you to the researchers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, chemists, and all who work so hard to make modern medicine what it is today.

 

[HappyHealthyHolyRoller]

Let's bump this thing next to my thread.

 

[Jase]

Is that good?



I work in the medical feild. Although I am a layman and not a professional, I have a lot of exposure.

The work that physicians do is often under appreciated.

I once heard a physician say that he wanted his sons to go into law and not medicine because it pays more to sue a person than to save a person. A specialist sees a patient in the ICU in the states for around $100 per day, yet is sued for the hudred thousands and millions if a jury of laymen feel they made a mistake.

Thank you to the researchers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, chemists, and all who work so hard to make modern medicine what it is today.

Unfortunately most people agree the doctor profession is a bad choice these days. I've considered either being a doctor or lawyer, and even doctors I've talked to tell me to go with Lawyer. Both my parents are in the medical field, and they say being a doctor in most fields these days due to insurance is not worth it. Lots of OBs for example are quitting.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

I would like to thank all the biologists (particularly those in medical and agriculture) who apply evolutionary theory in their work, despite all the silly creationists who keep claiming that evolution is bunk. Fortunately, those scientists don't listen to creationists.

 

[Pats]

Unfortunately most people agree the doctor profession is a bad choice these days. I've considered either being a doctor or lawyer, and even doctors I've talked to tell me to go with Lawyer. Both my parents are in the medical field, and they say being a doctor in most fields these days due to insurance is not worth it. Lots of OBs for example are quitting.

Well, obstetrics is the most highly litagated feild. I know a group of OBs that I was very sorry to see become an abortion clinic because they felt the insurance was getting too ridiculous.

It's really sad because when they lower the standards for physicians, good healthcare in the states will become exceptionally hard to come by.

 

[Maxwell511]

The NY Times today has a lengthy article on the astonishing changes in human health in the last 100 years. Basically, in the industrialized world humans have gone from on average being sick and weakly to big and healthy. Thankfully, now the changes appear to be spreading to the rest of the world. Why the big change? Vaccines, antibiotics, and better diet.

Actually a clean water supply is the biggest break through that we have. Vaccines, antibiotics, blah blah blah are nothing compared to this. They just cure old man diseases that exist because people have access to clean water.

 

[Phred]

Let's bump this thing next to my thread.

What thread?

 

[Pats]

Actually a clean water supply is the biggest break through that we have. Vaccines, antibiotics, blah blah blah are nothing compared to this. They just cure old man diseases that exist because people have access to clean water.

Sadly, many of the medical issues we've seen drop practically off the map in countries other than third world countries are on the rise and threatening to become epidemics again because there is now this "movement" amongst parents of young children encouraging folks not to get routine vaccinations for their young children. So, they're really not just a problem among geriatrics.

Antibiotics are instrumental in prolonging and saving the lives of young people with low immunities as well. I have known of fairly young patients to nearly die of sepsis.

While I agree we should not discount the health benefit of clean water, it is still important to recognize that people can die from simple things such as urinary tract infections that are allowed to progress untreated.

 

[random_guy]

What thread?

I think it was the, "Let's take a moment to thank Christianity" which was nothing more than a veilled attack on the ACLU, Universities, and linked Hitler to evolutionists. It was deleted.

Anyway, I think everything in the article is awesome except the weight gain. Isn't America 1/3-1/2 obese?

 

[NamesAreHardToPick]

I think it was the, "Let's take a moment to thank Christianity" which was nothing more than a veilled attack on the ACLU, Universities, and linked Hitler to evolutionists. It was deleted.

Anyway, I think everything in the article is awesome except the weight gain. Isn't America 1/3-1/2 obese?

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. Maybe science can help us overcome obesity in America!

Oh wait it already did, it was called Ephedra. Then the darn FDA banned it.

 

[GoSeminoles!]

I think it was the, "Let's take a moment to thank Christianity" which was nothing more than a veilled attack on the ACLU, Universities, and linked Hitler to evolutionists. It was deleted.

Anyway, I think everything in the article is awesome except the weight gain. Isn't America 1/3-1/2 obese?

I don't want to discount the obesity problem, but the added 50 pounds may not be as bad as it may sound. First, an added 3" in height will add X pounds in bone and muscle mass alone. And if 19th century men were as scrawny on average as reported, then a few more of those 50 pounds gained can be chalked up to bringing us up to where we should be.

 

[random_guy]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. Maybe science can help us overcome obesity in America!

Oh wait it already did, it was called Ephedra. Then the darn FDA banned it.

Actually, I'm all for the regulation of Ephedra. It was linked to several deaths, but the only reason why the FDA had problems regulating was because of good old Orrin Hatch. He's a sock puppet of the natural supplement industry, preventing the FDA from regulating it since he makes so much money from donations. But then again, that's for another thread.

 

[ThePenguinMafia]

Is that good?



I work in the medical feild. Although I am a layman and not a professional, I have a lot of exposure.

The work that physicians do is often under appreciated.

I once heard a physician say that he wanted his sons to go into law and not medicine because it pays more to sue a person than to save a person. A specialist sees a patient in the ICU in the states for around $100 per day, yet is sued for the hudred thousands and millions if a jury of laymen feel they made a mistake.

Thank you to the researchers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, chemists, and all who work so hard to make modern medicine what it is today.

The annoying thing is that the claim culture hurts the patients more than anything else. I'm just glad I'm training in England where the situation is better... though it's still unacceptable.

 

[Cirbryn]

The annoying thing is that the claim culture hurts the patients more than anything else. I'm just glad I'm training in England where the situation is better... though it's still unacceptable.

Actually it’s the doctors and hospital staff hurting the patients. The “claim culture” is one of the few things helping them. This is from a July 21, 2006 article in the SF Chronicle:

"At least 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured and killed each year by avoidable errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking medications, the influential Institute of Medicine concludes in a major report released Thursday.
Mistakes in giving drugs are so prevalent in hospitals that, on average, a patient will be subjected to a medication error each day he or she fills a hospital bed, the report says.

* * *

The report found errors to be not only harmful and widespread, but very costly. The extra medical costs of treating drug-related injuries occurring only in hospitals was estimated conservatively to be $3.5 billion a year.”

And this is from an article two years ago in Science Daily, reporting on a law journal article on the subject written by someone who is both a medical doctor and a lawyer:

"Hospitals know that computerized physician order entry systems greatly reduce the frequency of medication mistakes, but do not use them because they are expensive. Doctors know that electronic medical records improve the quality of care, but do not use them because most independent practices are too small to afford the technology. Few emergency rooms have patient-protecting software because of limited resource pooling and economies of scale. Over and over, one finds that providers fail to implement proven patient safety measures because they lack incentives to bear the cost."
In this context, liability laws and malpractice suits have a modest positive effect on behavior, the authors asserted.
"Liability encourages producers of goods and services to exercise due care by forcing them to internalize the costs of their negligence"

The really annoying thing for me is that doctors and hospitals keep getting away with murder and the lawyers trying to hold them accountable keep getting stuck with the bad rep.

 

[madarab]

Pats, the way technology is progressing, we will likely see medical computation largely replacing doctors within the next 20 years or so. The future of that profession is likely to be regulated to the kind of personal touch that machines are unlikely to be able to give in that time frame and medical research.

 

[Pseudonym]

*sniff sniff* Smells like science is legitimate and has helped a lot of people.

 

[NamesAreHardToPick]

Actually, I'm all for the regulation of Ephedra. It was linked to several deaths, but the only reason why the FDA had problems regulating was because of good old Orrin Hatch. He's a sock puppet of the natural supplement industry, preventing the FDA from regulating it since he makes so much money from donations. But then again, that's for another thread.

It's funny how the FDA never showed Ephedra was the reason for the "supposed" deaths soley. And by the way, the FDA didn't win. A Utah judge struck down the FDA's claim because of "lack of evidence" just last year. Why don't they bring it back? The media jumped on the FDA bandwagon a few years ago and now any company is afraid to.

Keep in mind the FDA claimed that a little over 200 people died from Ephedra, but admitted that over 12 million people were using it while it was legal. I don't think the FDA will ever actually prove it was Ephedra that killed the 200 as it could have been a bad diet, improper combination of drugs, over-working out (yes people die of this without ever taking supplements!), etcetera.

 

[HappyHealthyHolyRoller]

Since this topic deals with advances in medical science and neither evolution or Creation, it shall be 3... 2... 1... Deleted.