BPS 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Listerine, Ethylene Glycol, Cestoda
23 Feb 2020
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Department
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Professor
Introduction and History
Life Expectancy
- Canada has one of the highest standards of living in the world, long living and
improved quality of life → in 22009 about 82 years.
- The average age for the world was 66
- Swaziland was the lowest with an age of 30 → this is similar to the stone age life
expectancy (which also had 30-35 years)
Life Expectancy through history
- In the last 6000 years the life expectancy was 30-35 years old.
- However lifespan is only an educated guess → written records and
archaeology
- This number is an estimate made by combining data from various sources
- Making the numbers varied depending on the sources they use, that is why
we use a range.
- Life expectancy only increased in the last 150 years.
Life in the ‘good old days’
- Harsh, cruel and short.
Disease was common and dangerous
- The life expectancy was low because disease was common back then → in a normal
state you would probably be sick.
- This could lead to a life-threatening event.
Lice and Fleas
- This was very common to have your entire life
Life with worms
- Worms would be carried in your digestive system and muscles.
- Only recently have we been able to take them out.
- Five to remember;
- Hookworm → blood feeding worms
- Tapeworms → can lay 1,000,000 eggs per day
- Tapeworm eggs
- Roundworms → max size 50 cm lay 2000,000 eggs/day
- Pinworms → migrates out of colon and lays eggs in anus - itching
Improved quality of life in Canada
- In the 1900s → life expectancy was 44 years
- Main causes of death were; (this all lasted until 1950)
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
- Influenza
- In 2004 life expectancy was 82 years
- Main causes of death
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Lower respiratory infection
- Traffic accidents
- Diabetes
- Main difference between deaths in the 1900s and 2004 is the deaths now are more related
to ‘wear and tear’ of our body
Main reasons for improved health
Improved Sanitation
- Most important
- Physically separate the waste from our bodies as quickly as we can get away from us.
- Before there were cesspits → found mostly in the countryside (little huts that people
would do their business in)
- There was also chambers -- found mostly in the city sides, little pots that once full would
be deposited in the city sewers.
- City sewers during the time where ditches outside the of the street → open
sewer system.
- A closed sewer system was developed later on in Europe, this was made to
separate people from the bacteria because the waste would carry
pathogens and diseases that are harmful to us.
Populations exposed to dead and dying
- They used to touch dead bodies → this would give off diseases.
- More diseases would spread this way especially if a person who died with a
disease was touched.
Safe water supply
- Nature does not make pure water → it has small microorganisms that cannot be seen
to the human eye.
- If you drink water that has a disease it would quickly spread throughout your
body
- Guinea Worm → common in africa, occurs when you drink unfiltered water
- The guinea worm completes a life cycle in the body and exits the skin by popping
out.
- This is painful and causes a burning sensation so to relieve it people will
put the affected area in water, this is how the worm escapes.
- Biggest issue with water is we can’t see the bacteria so we assume there is nothing there.
- Major improvements in chlorination
- Has two main functions;
- Kills any viruses that does not get filtered
- Perseveres the water as it is transported, keeps it safe and clean.
Refrigeration
- Before fridges food being spoiled was common
- People would have to buy food that was only seasonal available → causing them to
lack certain nutrients during certain periods of time, impacting their health.
- Now fridges keep food good all year long, no longer lacking certain nutrients.
Pharmaceuticals improves health
- Two major developments that have helped us;
- Vaccinations → prevent people from getting a disease.
- Some diseases no longer exist because of vaccines (smallpox), (polio is
almost gone → only 30 cases in 2 countries, major barrier is politics).
- Antibiotics → off and on situation.
Improved health using the scientific method
- Sanitation
- Clean drinking water
- Refrigeration
- Vaccinations
- Antibiotics
Modern drugs work
- Each start with a scientific idea
- Each is optimized using scientific methods
- Each is tested scientifically.
- The US is half of the world market.
North American drug market (2009)
- Prescription drugs → $300 billion
- Over the counter drugs (OTC) → $25 billion.
World Drug Markets (2009)
- United States 49.1%
- Canada 3.8%
Modern pharmaceutical industry is young
- Started in 1856
- Uses scientific methods
- Chemistry
- Biology
Document Summary
Canada has one of the highest standards of living in the world, long living and improved quality of life in 22009 about 82 years. The average age for the world was 66. Swaziland was the lowest with an age of 30 this is similar to the stone age life expectancy (which also had 30-35 years) In the last 6000 years the life expectancy was 30-35 years old. However lifespan is only an educated guess written records and archaeology. This number is an estimate made by combining data from various sources. Making the numbers varied depending on the sources they use, that is why we use a range. Life expectancy only increased in the last 150 years. The life expectancy was low because disease was common back then in a normal state you would probably be sick. This could lead to a life-threatening event. This was very common to have your entire life.
