Week Four: Death and Society

(Essay Questions)

John B. and Sonja M. McKinlay. 1977. The questionable contribution of medical measures to the decline of mortality in the United States.

• What is the modern "heresy" the the McKinlays bring up in their article, and why is this idea viewed as heretical?
• According to the McKinlays' Figure 2, when did U.S. death rates fall? When did medical expenditures rise? What does this say about the connection between them?
• Which causes of death might have declined due to medical advances and interventions? How much of the overall mortality decline would this explain?

Machiko Yanagashita & Jack Guralnik. 1988. Changing mortality that led life expectancy in Japan to surpass Sweden's: 1972-1982.

• As Japan's life expectancy caught up to and passed Sweden's, what ages contributed most to Japan's success?
• Against which causes were advances more noticeable in Japan than in Sweden?
• How do the authors explain Japanese success in particular age groups and against certain causes of death?