All parents fondly wish that their children grow to enjoy a full and fulfilling life. Those children too desire to age well so that their lives are not marred by disease and disability. They hope to remain fit and functioning rather than frail and feeble till the end of their life. It will be a poor trade-off if their life expectancy increases but those added years are full of suffering due to poor health.
The 20th century saw a marked rise in human life expectancy globally, despite world wars and a host of infectious diseases. This resulted from a combination of improved living conditions and advances in preventive, diagnostic and curative medical services. Improvements in water, sanitation, nutrition, education, income, occupational safety and women's status in society accompanied economic development and education.
These also stimulated a surge of science and technology. Simultaneously, large populations in Asia, Africa and the Americas wrested freedom from colonial rule and charted their developmental journeys. More diseases were prevented and more lives were saved than ever before, to yield a bounty of long life expectancy. However, even a 'cured' disease often left behind disabilities that detracted from fulsome functionality and impaired the quality of life, increased dependency on others and carried high financial costs of chronic healthcare.
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Engineering the Actor Within
Parvati Nair talks about her latest film Mr Rani, her career so far, and multiple projects on her plate.
It's a Bling Thing
From preppy fashion accessories to elevated essentials, designer Tiara Dhody's latest chic bijouterie works as a serotonin booster
The Sun and Stars of Inside Living
A home is a compelling personal statement of the owner's personality. How doing it up by zodiac sign can unleash the full potential of colours, shapes and textures
More than Just History
Though the writing begins with a little uncertainty, the author hits her stride quickly building on extensive research
The Black Book of 1975
Whoever said one should not let Whoever said one should not leted story has not read PK Sreenivasan's novel Midnight Knock.
How the Mesopotamians Imagined Earth
The Mesopotamian civilisation, which civilisation, arose around 3400 BC, was one of the earliest urban civilisations.
Her Cakes, Her Cakewalk
Mumbai's queen of confectionery completes two inspired decades of baking sweet somethings for movie stars and celebrity tycoons who get their sugar hit from her little empire.
The Power to Rise Above Loss
Children, some people say, \"We lead an ethical life. We do not betray or harm anyone.
Wild and High
Tucked away from the well-worn tourist paths of Madhya Pradesh's Kanha and Bandhavgarh lies Satpura's hidden gem the Denwa Backwater Escape.
Hands-on Learning for Under Graduates
Hoffman had won the Nobel prize in Medicine in 2011.
