The China Study by Thomas Campbell

16 THE (HINA STUDY

CHART 1.4: LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH12

Diseases of the Heart 710,760

Cancer (Malignant 553,091

Medical Corell 225,400

Stroke (Cerebrovascular Diseases) 167,661

Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases 122,009

Accidents 97,900

Diabetes Mellitus 69,301

Influenza and Pneumonia 65,313

Alzheimer's Disease 49,558

CHART 1.5: DEATH BY HEALTH CAREl I

Medication Errors^13 7,400

Unnecessary Surgeryl4 12,000

Other Preventable Errors in Hospitals 11 20,000

Hospital Borne Infections 11 80,000

Adverse Drug Effects^15 106,000

The last and largest category of deaths in this group are the hospital-
ized patients who die from the "noxious, unintended and undesired ef-
fect of a drug,"15 which occurs at normal doses.1^6 Even with the use of
approved medicines and correct medication procedures, over one hun-
dred thousand people die every year from unintended reactions to the
"medicine" that is supposed to be reviving their health. 15 Incidentally, this
same report, which summarized and analyzed thirty-nine separate stud-
ies, found that almost 7% (one out of fifteen) of all hospitalized patients
have experienced a serious adverse drug reaction, one that "requires hos-
pitalization, prolongs hospitalization, is permanently disabling or results
in death."15 These are people who took their medicine as directed. This
number does not include the tens of thousands of people who suffer from
the incorrect administration and use of these drugs. Nor does it include
adverse drug events that are labeled "possible" effects, or drugs that do