1

HD 360 – Death & Dying

Unit 1

Introduction

Introduction

• Thanatos (Greek term for death)

– Thanatology (study of death)

• Today, death is a “taboo” subject.

• We use euphemisms.

• The emphasis is on youth and health.

• We are worried about what happens afterward.

• We all want “the good death.”

Is there a right time to die?

Birt

h

Middl

e Child

hood

Adu

lthoo

d

Con

cept

ion

Ear

ly C

hild

hood

Ado

lesc

ence

Dea

th

The Final Stage of Growth

Why do we die?

• We are genetically programmed to die.

– Genetic death clock

– Maximum life span 115-120 years

– Leonard Hayflick: Human cells can

replicate themselves about 50 times and

then they run out of genetic material.

– Methuselah gene

– Trees produce a protein causing cell death

Why do we die?

• Currently - disease processes related to

aging and lifestyle

• In the past, more likely to die from

infection or (for women) pregnancy &

childbirth complications

• Epidemiological shift – historically death

from microbes; now due to chronic

disease

2

Leading Causes of Death

• 1. Heart disease

• 2. Cancer

• 3. Stroke

• 4. Chronic lung disease

• 5. Accidents

• 6. Diabetes

• 7. Flu & Pneumonia

Leading Causes of Death

• 8. Alzheimer’s

• 9. Kidney Disease

• 10. Septicemia

• 11. Suicide

• 12. Liver disease, cirrhosis

• 13. Hypertension (high blood pressure)

• 14. Homicide

Leading Causes of Death

• 15. Pneumonitis (inflammation of lungs)

• 16. Aortic Aneurysm

• 17. Parkinson’s Disease

• 18. HIV/AIDS

• 19. Atherosclerosis

• 20. Perinatal period

Causes of Death - Infancy

• Neonates (birth to 4 weeks)

– #1 Congenital anomalies (birth defects)

– #2 Prematurity

– #3 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

• Infancy (1 month - 1 year)

– #1 SIDS

Causes of Death - Childhood

• 1 Accidents

• 2 Cancer

• 3 Homicide

• 4 Congenital anomalies

• 5 Suicide

• 6 Heart disease

• 7 AIDS (#4 for ages 0 - 4)

• 8 Pneumonia/influenza

Causes of Death -

Adolescence

• 1 Accidents

• 2 Homicide

• 3 Suicide

• 4 Cancer

• 5 Heart disease

• 6 AIDS

3

World Health Report

• Leading causes of global death (1997)

– 1 Infectious and parasitic diseases (33%)

– 2 Circulatory diseases (29%)

– 3 Cancer (12%)

– 4 Perinatal conditions (3.6 million - 7%)

– 5 Respiratory diseases (6%)

– Deaths from accidents, violence and AIDS

are rising

World Health Report

• Age structure of deaths - 1955

– 40% - children under age 5

– 10% - children aged 5-19

– 28% - adults aged 20-64

– 21% - adults over age 65

World Health Report

• Age structure of deaths - 1995

– 21% - children under age 5

– 7% - children aged 5 - 19

– 27% - adults aged 20 - 64

– 43% - adults over age 65

World Health Report

• Age structure of deaths - 2025

– 8% - children under age 5

– 3% - children aged 5 - 19

– 27% - adults aged 20 - 64

– 63% - adults over age 65

World Health Report

• The World Report on Violence

– 1.6 million deaths per year

– Most between age 15 and age 44

– 14% Males; 7% Females

– Costs billions of dollars per year

Life Expectancy

• Average age at which an organism is

expected to die

– Reflects hospitality of the environment

– Reflects genetic disposition

– Race and gender influence

• Life span – the length of time from birth

until death

– Maximum life span has changed little

4

Historical Overview

• 3000 BC - 18 years

– Life tenuous because of disease and

accidents

• 275 BC - 26 years

• 1900 - 49 years

– Improved sanitation helps, but

infectious diseases are still killers

Historical Overview

• 1990 - 76 years

– Better diet and health care

– Reduced infant mortality

• 1995 - 76 years (White) 70 years (Black)

• 2004 - 77.43

– Women outlive men by about 6.4 years

– Racial mortality crossover

– U.S ranks 48th of 225 countries surveyed

Predicting the Future

• Life expectancy expected to reach 115

years sometime in the next two decades

– Better diet and lifestyle

– Hormone replacement

– Rejuvenating body chemicals

– Better understanding of the aging process

– Genetic engineering

What is good about death?

• Promotes survival of the fittest

• Crucial for ecological balance

• Relieves suffering

• What if life went on forever?