Evolution of Public Health: A Century's Progress

Public health has made substantial advantages that have decreased the mortality rate and increased the life expectancy. At the beginning of the 20th century, the 5 leading causes of death were…. Talk about how shitty public health was prior to these changes If you were born at the start of the 20th century, you were fucked. Life expectancy was at 45 years old. If you were sick with an infectious disease, you could kiss your ass goodbye because no one knew shit about your infectious disease. If your parents wanted you to work in the mines like millions of other parents, they hated you. At the end of the day, you would come out of the cave blowing smoke like puff the magic dragon. You also had to worry about rocks collapsing or exploding

In 1966, the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) was designed by the Highway Act. NHSB’s director, Dr. William Haddon, noticed that he could prevent motor-vehicle injuries by applying public health methods and epidemiology. Various passages demanded the government to set standards for the highway and motor vehicles. The federal government responded by developing new safety features in cars such as safety belts, head rests, and shatter-resistant windshields. Barriers, reflectors, and center line strips were placed on roadways to provide direction and illumination. Traffic safety laws, wearing a safety belt, and public education encouraged drivers to make safer decisions. The use of safety belts has skyrocketed from 11% in 1981 to 68% in 1997 and decreases When the community and government understood the necessity for motor-vehicle safety, various programs such as Prior to the implementation, the rate stood at 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1925; however, the rate stood at 1.7 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1997. With all of the new safety features with cars, public education and enforcement of safety laws, “motor-vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States.” Over 23.9 million vehicle crashes were reported in 1997; estimated costs were around $200 billion.