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Continuing the Search for a Law of Mortality

1996; Wiley; Volume: 22; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2137434

1728-4457

Bruce A. Carnes, S. Jay Olshansky, Douglas Grahn,

Health disparities and outcomes

Scientists have long attempted to explain why closely similar age patterns of death are characteristic of highly diverse human and non human populations....Early efforts [to develop a general law of mortality] were conducted using mortality curves based on all causes of death. The authors predict that if comparisons of mortality are based instead on `intrinsic causes of death (i.e. deaths that reflect the basic biology of the organism) then age patterns of mortality consistent with the historical concept of a law might be revealed. Using data on laboratory animals and humans they demonstrate that age patterns of intrinsic mortality overlap when graphed on a biologically comparable time scale. These results are consistent with the existence of a law of mortality following sexual maturity as originally asserted by Benjamin Gompertz and Raymond Pearl. The societal medical and research implications of such a law are discussed. (SUMMARY IN SPA AND FRE) (EXCERPT)