The Great Escape: A Review Essay on Fogel's 'The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100' / Angus Deaton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Deaton, Angus.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w11308.

NBER working paper series no. w11308

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

The Great Escape

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2005.

Summary:

In this essay, I review Robert Fogel's The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700-2100 which is concerned with the past, present, and future of human health. Fogel's work places great emphasis on nutrition, not only for the history of health, but for explaining aspects of current health, not only in comparing poor and rich countries, but in thinking about rich countries now and in the future. I discuss Fogel's analysis alongside alternative interpretations that place greater emphasis on the historical role of public health, and on the current and future role of improvements in medical technology.

Notes:

Print version record

May 2005.