Shakespeare wrote “tis a vile thing to die, when men are unprepared and look not for it” Death in Shakespeare’s England came from plague, typhus and dysentery. These diseases are in our past, but still death seems to find us unprepared.
I always assumed these things out there were the ones to be scared of, that we died at the hand of external forces, war, the hands of others or the violence of nature – disasters, bacteria, viruses, or Redbacks. But I was to be surprised on starting my current job managing the Museum of Human Disease to learn how mistaken I was.
My museum protects a collection of the most unwanted things in Australia, the things that kill more Australians than anything else. Our collection contains more than just the top 20 – but lets start there. In the most recently released data sets the top 20 accounted for 2/3 of all deaths in 2010, the top ten over half.
At number 19 Australia’s forgotten dandy – thanks to a bottle of brandy a day we have perhaps our most happily self inflicted death Alcoholic Cirrhosis of the liver.
Being the lucky country we are living longer and our fastest mover is a result of an aging population – 10 years ago it was 38th five years ago 28th but in the most recent count leaping (pardon the pun) to number 18 is accidental falls often caused by the weakened bones of osteoporosis
if alcoholic cirrhosis isn’t our most loved killer then surely Malignant melanomas must be for why else are people still going like fools and English backpackers unprotected into the mid day sun.
My heart brakes at the thought that from 14 to 40 years of age this is the leading cause of death and number 15 all up
The only external causes in the top twenty and a hangover from human history are chronic infections of the respiratory tract – we fear influenza but mostly pneumonia is Australia’s 14th killer
13 12 11 8 and 6 are the the top twenties least preventable, research is helping us understand how individual every cancer is, and opening up research pathways to cures.
Oh for more donors
At number 7 A silent epidemic linked to the modern surge in obesity and love affair with sugar and alcohol7
Including emphysema
Showing no sign of waning but our legacy will be nothing compared to that in countries where tobacco is still far less regulated.
The other outcome of an aging population, one which researchers are struggling to understand and some are fearful we will never find a cure for
You may have noticed that I missed some numbers. That’s because the cause of numbers 1, 2, 9, 17 and 20 is the same. A disease known as Cardio Vascular Disease
This is what healthy Artery looks like…
This is unhealthy artery, the build up of fat in arteries is the leading cause of death in Australia, causing heart attacks, strokes, heart failure. Cardio Vascular disease accounted for 28% of all deaths in 2010, and with Cardio surgeons in Sydney finding arteries like this in 10 year olds we may not be reducing the presence or prevalence of this disease anytime soon.
You may do the numbers a little differently but In the words of the master of war sun szu … Know your enemy and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles, and now you know your enemies – how will you prepare.