Life expectancy has increased dramatically in recent centuries, from an average of 35 years in the 18th century to twice that today. Although this progress is sometimes attributed to economic development, the real driver of change has been investment in public services, such as health, education and sanitation.
Today, no one interprets low life expectancy as a “natural disaster”, but rather we seek political, cultural and economic explanations. Gone are the medieval obscurantisms, where early mortality was attributed to divine punishments or supernatural forces. However, it seems that this mentality hasn’t completely disappeared, as it resurfaces when DANA is portrayed as an inevitable natural disaster.
