Thetrajectorythatmedicalprogresshas madepossible
for manypeople, though, followsneither of thesetwo
patterns.Instead,increasinglylargenumbersofusgetto
liveoutafulllifespananddieofoldage.Oldageisnota
diagnosis. Thereis always some finalproximatecause
that gets written down on the death
certificate—respiratoryfailure,cardiacarrest.Butintruth
nosinglediseaseleadstotheend;theculpritisjustthe
accumulated crumbling of one’s bodily systems while
medicinecarriesoutitsmaintenancemeasuresandpatch
jobs.Wereducethebloodpressurehere,beatbackthe
osteoporosis there, controlthis disease,track that one,
replace a failed joint, valve, piston, watch thecentral
processing unit gradually give out. The curve of life
becomes a long, slow fade:
Theprogressofmedicineandpublichealthhasbeenan
incredible boon—people get to live longer, healthier,
more productive lives than ever before. Yet traveling
alongthesealteredpaths,weregardlivinginthedownhill
stretcheswitha kindofembarrassment.Weneedhelp,