1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910457746003321

Autore

Fogel Robert William

Titolo

The escape from hunger and premature death, 1700-2100 : Europe, America, and the Third World / / Robert William Fogel [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2004

ISBN

1-107-71358-7

1-280-51581-3

0-511-81764-9

0-511-21415-4

0-511-21594-0

0-511-21057-4

0-511-31493-0

0-511-21234-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xx, 191 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Collana

Cambridge studies in population, economy, and society in past time ; ; 38

Disciplina

304.6/4

Soggetti

Food supply - History

Malnutrition - History

Medical care - History

Mortality - History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-181) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Half-Title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; 1 The Persistence of Misery in Europe and America before 1900; 2 Why the Twentieth Century Was So Remarkable; 3 Tragedies and Miracles in the Third World; 4 Prospects for the Twenty-First Century; 5 Problems of Equity in Health Care; Postscript How Long Can We Live?; Appendix; Notes; Glossary of Technical Terms; Biographical Notes; References; Index

Sommario/riassunto

Nobel laureate Robert Fogel's compelling study, first published in 2004, examines health, nutrition and technology over the last three centuries and beyond. Throughout most of human history, chronic malnutrition



has been the norm. During the past three centuries, however, a synergy between improvements in productive technology and in human physiology has enabled humans to more than double their average longevity and to increase their average body size by over 50 per cent. Larger, healthier humans have contributed to the acceleration of economic growth and technological change, resulting in reduced economic inequality, declining hours of work and a corresponding increase in leisure time. Increased longevity has also brought increased demand for health care. Professor Fogel argues that health care should be viewed as the growth industry of the twenty-first century and systems of financing it should be reformed. His book will be essential reading for all those interested in economics, demography, history and health care policy.