Deaths … In Perspective

Amid the current Cpvid-19 crisis, we are preoccupied with getting sick and dying, and rightfully so. We fear the unknown and the unexpected. We fear what we do not understand. We fear what we cannot control. All this is exacerbated when death is a possible outcome.

Deaths Caused by Crises

Some causes of multiple deaths originate in nature, such as meteorological, geological, or biological events. Some are accidents or the result of human actions. The crises may last just a few moments, a few days, or a few years. All come as a shock and that’s what makes them noteworthy.

Events like hurricanes and earthquakes have caused tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S., and many more globally. The Galveston Hurricane od 1900 killed 8,000 in just two days. Someday, this death toll may be exceeded by the next anticipated earthquake on the San Andreas fault or the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano. But by far, the deadliest crises the U.S. has faced are pandemics. Since 1980, the AIDS epidemic has accounted for 675,000 lives. The Spanish Flu killed 675,000 in just two years. Covid-19 has killed over 208,000 in just eight months, with no end in sight. For all our advances in science and technology, these are deaths we can rarely foresee and prepare for let alone control.

Crises	Time Period	Deaths	Deaths per Day	Deaths per Population	Source
Galveston Hurricane	1900	8,000	4,000	0.01%	2
San Francisco Earthquake	1908	3,000	3,000	0.003%	2
September 11th	2001	2,996	2,996	0.001%	2
Jonestown Flood	1889	2,209	2,209	0.004%	2
Peshtigo Wildfire	1871	2,000	2,000	0.005%	2
Sultana Shipwreck	1865	1,700	1,700	0.005%	2
Spanish Flu	1918 to 1919	675,000	925	0.66%	5
Jonestown Suicide	1978	918	918	0.0004%	2
Covid-19	2/15 to 9/26/2020	208,440	898	0.06%	9
Hurricane Katrina	2005	1,200	300	0.0004%	2
AIDS	2017	16,350	45	0.005%	7
North American Drought	1988 to 1990	10,000	14	0.004%	2

Deaths Caused by Wars

Some deaths we can only blame on ourselves; wars are the prime example. In the U.S., the Civil War was responsible for 755,000 deaths, the horrific number being the result of virtually all the combatants being Americans. World War II was about half of that. Given the size of the U.S. population at the time, about 1% of all Americans were killed fighting for our independence. Democracy comes at a cost. As time has gone on, we have become more efficient at killing. Our causality rates have diminished while we kill more and more of our adversaries.

Wars	Time Period	Deaths	Deaths per Day	Deaths per Population	Source
Civil War	1861 to 1865	755,000	520	2.39%	1
Revolutionary War	1775 to 1783	25,000	11	1.00%	1
World War II	1941 to 1945	405,399	297	0.31%	1
War of 1812	1812 to 1815	15,000	15	0.21%	1
World War I	1917 to 1918	116,516	279	0.11%	1
Mexican–American War	1846 to 1848	13,283	29	0.06%	1
Vietnam War	1961 to 1975	58,209	11	0.03%	1
Korean War	1950 to 1953	36,574	30	0.02%	1
Philippine–American War	1899 to 1902	4,196	4	0.006%	1
Spanish–American War	1898	2,246	9	0.004%	1
Iraq War	2003 to 2011	4,576	2	0.002%	1
War in Afghanistan	2001-Present	2,216	0.4	0.001%	1

Deaths Caused by Familiar Risks

We sometimes overlook some causes of death when we see them as inevitable or they don’t affect us personally. Nonetheless, familiar causes of deaths account for the most lives. Illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, strokes, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and respiratory diseases kill almost two million Americans every year on average. Medical researchers are working to address these diseases, but cures are a long way off. Medicine hasn’t been able to do much about some health-related problems, like malpractice, overdoses, and suicides, which account for half a million deaths every year. We try to prevent accidents, especially automotive and workplace accidents, but these risks kill well over a hundred thousand Americans every year. Gun violence may only take 20,000 lives a year, but it ia a national disgrace.

Common Causes	Time Period	Deaths	Deaths per Day	Deaths per Population	Source
Heart disease	2017	647,457	1,774	0.20%	10
Cancer	2017	599,108	1,641	0.18%	10
Medical malpractice	2013 calculated	251,454	689	0.08%	8
Prescription Drug Overdoses	2015-2019 Average	209,876	575	0.06%	4
Accidents	2017	169,936	466	0.05%	10
Respiratory diseases	2017	160,201	439	0.05%	10
Strokes	2017	146,383	401	0.04%	10
Alzheimer’s disease	2017	121,404	333	0.04%	10
Diabetes	2017	83,564	229	0.03%	10
Illegal Drug Overdoses	2015-2019 Average	55,860	153	0.02%	4
Suicide	2017	47,173	129	0.01%	10
Gun violence	2014-2019 Average	14,457	40	0.004%	6
People Killed by Police	2015-2019 Average	4,938	3	0.002%	3

Deaths in Perspective

Death is inevitable. We will all have to deal with it eventually. Whether it comes as a result of some natural disaster, a war, an illness, or some societal problem, doesn’t matter. But, we all need to do whatever we can to minimize our risks. Live a healthy lifestyle, avoid exposure to diseases like Covid-19, and vote for leaders who will eschew wars and other forms of violence.

June 22, 2020