![]() Vaccines have been so effective at improving health and saving and extending lives that most people in the U.S. This historical examination would not be complete without an acknowledgement of the impact of vaccines on improved health and life expectancy in the U.S., although widespread use of vaccines did not occur until the 1900s compared to some of the earlier life-extending population health improvements mentioned above. Also, other social advancements such as greater understanding of nutrition, better housing conditions, air quality improvements, child labor laws and higher literacy rates also greatly improved overall health and life expectancy. ![]() Historians have concluded that improved sanitation, public water treatment, sewage management, food inspection and municipal garbage collection almost eliminated the aforementioned causes of death. This period is actually referred to as the “First Public Health Revolution” and it occurred before the medical interventions of antibiotics and advanced surgical techniques were in place. However, while most people imagine medical advancements to be the reason for this increase, the largest gain in life expectancy occurred between 18 due to public health improvements such as control of infectious diseases, more abundant and safer foods, cleaner water, and other nonmedical social improvements. life expectancy has more than doubled to almost 80 years (78.8 in 2015), with vast improvements in health and quality of life. The average lifespan at the time was around 35 years. ![]() With a lack of medical understanding of these ailments, a common treatment was bloodletting. People died painfully, mostly in infancy or childhood, primarily from diseases such as tuberculosis, pleurisy, typhus, tonsillitis, cholera and dysentery. Living conditions then were vastly different from today due to poor sanitation, lack of proper sewage management, non-existent or inadequate treatment of drinking water, no food inspection or municipal garbage collection, crowded housing and no real understanding of nutrition. With National Public Health Week taking place April 3-9, I ask you to take a trip back in time and imagine yourself living 200 years ago in 1817.
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