something light & fun

leading causes of death in the usa, from 2005 - the data most recently compiled by the national center for health statistics:
1. heart disease
2. cancer
3. stroke
4. chronic lower respiratory diseases
5. accidents
6. diabetes
7. alzheimer's
8. flu & pneumonia
9. kidney disease
10. septicemia
11. suicide
12. chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
13. hypertension
14. parkinson's
15. homicide

things i find surprising:
- parkinson's at #14. had no idea it would even be on the list at all.
- homicide at #15. thought this would have been higher.
- accidents at #5. not exactly surprising, but somewhat disappointing, since one would perhaps believe that accidents are preventable, i.e.: don't run with scissors.
- #11... wonder how many #5's are really #11's? how many people are able to pull off suicide in a way that makes it resemble an accident.

and, not surprising:
- aids is not on the list. i have heard that its effect is blown out of proportion. research to combat aids absorbs more than its fair share of money, and that is disappointing, but not surprising. we as a culture tend to get things bassackwards frequently.

wonder how many people died of things like parkinson's or alzheimer's before these were pinpointed as diseases. or, even, cancer or stroke or any of that. people died of old age, but what does that really mean? so, death from a particular cause, for instance: parkinson's or stroke, is not actually on the rise -- it is correct identification of cause of death that is on the rise.