Extra life : a short history of living longer / Steven Johnson.

"Now a PBS documentary series"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Twenty thousand days -- The long ceiling: measuring life expectancy -- The catalogue of evils: variolation and vaccines -- Vital statistics: data and epidemiology -- Safe as milk: pasteurization and chlorination -- Beyond the placebo effect: drug regulation and testing -- The mold that changed the world: antibiotics -- Egg drops and rocket sleds: automobile and industrial safety -- Feed the world: the decline of the famine -- Conclusion: Bhola Island, revisited.

"As a species, humans have doubled their life expectancy in one hundred years. Medical breakthroughs, public health institutions, rising standards of living, and the other advances of modern life have given each person about 20,000 extra days on average. This book attempts to help the reader understand where that progress came from and what forces keep people alive longer. The author also considers how to avoid decreases in life expectancy as public health systems face unprecedented challenges, and what current technologies or interventions could reduce the impact of future crises. This work illuminates the power of common goals and public resources; the work of activists struggling for reform, and of scientists sharing their findings open-source-style; and of non-profit agencies spreading innovations around the world"-- Provided by publisher.