Is it time to bring back 'old age' as a cause of death?

[elleng]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/17/AR2010091703823.html?hpid=topnews

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Because the malady of Old Age is not the actual cause of death.

It only aggravates the cause. It is not old age, it is cancer, or a heart attach, or a bed sore, or being shot by your wife of 60 years for buying viagra and not using it with her.

Are we concerned now about posting even three paragraphs of a published article now?

[elleng]

3. 'Concerned?' No. Rushed.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. Damn, Rush is responsibile for everything now. n/t

[elleng]

7. Yup, darn him!

:rofl:

[Uben]

2. They've always had a description to use.............

.........it's called "death by natural causes".

[elleng]

5. Thats when there are questions about possible legal culpability.

Here, tho,

'Part of the reason it's important is that mortality statistics are the backbone of public health.

Without knowing how the members of a population die, and at what ages, epidemiologists can only guess how many deaths are potentially preventable. On the other hand, good mortality data can identify overlooked problems and help public health agencies decide where to direct effort and money.'

[MindPilot]

4. Yeah but then the healthy-lifestyle nazis wouldn't have anything to lambaste us with

Don't smoke, don't drink, run fifty miles everyday, eat only veggies and you'll live forever.

What?! He's dead? He was only 103! Must've been something in the environment.

[MineralMan]

8. It doesn't really matter to the dead person.

My father-in-law has "multiple organ failure" as the cause on his death certificate. He died of old age. Whatever they put down is pretty meaningless. He just wore out. He died in his home with his wife, my wife, and me in the house, along with a hospice nurse. He had no identifiable fatal disease. Nobody really cares what's on the death certificate of someone who died of running out of lifetime. It's irrelevant.

[elleng]

9. 'Part of the reason it's important

is that mortality statistics are the backbone of public health.

Without knowing how the members of a population die, and at what ages, epidemiologists can only guess how many deaths are potentially preventable. On the other hand, good mortality data can identify overlooked problems and help public health agencies decide where to direct effort and money.'

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. It should matter to the offspring

so they can give an accurate family medical history to the doctor.

Other than that, yeah, the dead person doesn't care.

:hi: