The chapter is divided into four broad topics. The first four panels look at causes of death — historically and then in more detail today. We look at differences between men and women, between races and ethnicities, and we examine the special topic of infant mortality. The leading causes of death have changed somewhat — but the heart remains the perennial. When the heart fails, life ceases. The leading causes of death for men and women are the same for the first three causes. After that, vive la difference. We explore interesting differences between the races and ethnic groups. The leading cause of infant death is malformations of the body at birth.
We look next more closely at women's health in six panels and zero in on problems that tend to affect women exclusively — including breast cancer and death in childbirth. Along the way we look at problems of obesity. Women tend to be obese, men to be overweight. Men's health is covered next in seven panels. We look at heart disease, lung cancer, cancer of the prostate, and colorectal cancer, and then zero in on deaths by accidents, suicide, and homicide. Many men die of something that science has loosely labeled "testosterone toxicity," meaning a tendency men have to do risky and irrational things. (The women nod.) The last major topic is children's health, covered in four panels. We cover low birth weight, the importance of breast feeding, and crib deaths.
Throughout this chapter — however grim the subject — the news is actually quite good. Our future prospects are excellent. Our state of health is fine and getting better. We don't explore the details — leaving that for chapters that follow — but we sum up the results in the final panel of the chapter which shows show long we are expected to live — and how much longer than our parents, never mind our grandparents.
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