This Mortal Coil
A history of death
by Andrew Doig
In the Middle Ages, the most common causes of death were violence, famine, plague and childbirth, while in the 19th Century, it was infectious diseases, such as smallpox, cholera, typhoid and measles, particularly for young children. All of these are rare now. In contrast, cancer and dementia were rarely reported as causes of death until the 20th Century.
This Mortal Coil: History of Death is a survey of the most important causes of death over the past 10,000 years, showing how many of them were overcome. It explains why we died in the past, the reasons we die now, and how our causes of death are about to profoundly change. It is a unique combination of science, history, politics and economics.
The book is full of heroes - people who fought against conventional understanding and conservatism to change the world for the better. These include: John Snow, who proved that cholera is caused by infected water, rather than air; Ignaz Semmelweis, who showed that doctors with contaminated hands were infecting new mothers; Lady Mary Montagu, who introduced inoculation to England from Turkey to prevent smallpox; and William Duncan, who cleared the filthy and over-crowded slums of Liverpool, where life expectancy had been just 15. Finally, I look to the future, explaining how new medical advances are set to cure many present-day causes of death.
A Guardian, Economist & Prospect Book of the Year, 2022