Abstract
The driving force behind the improvement in the quality of life, the rising standard of living, improving health, and increasing longevity, is a process called 'technophysio evolution', which began about 300 years ago, accelerated during the twentieth century, and is still in progress. Increased spending on health care and on pensions is an appropriate concomitant of technophysio evolution, and should be welcomed. Only wasteful medical services should be restricted. The resources available now and in the future can provide increasingly long and healthy lives of relative luxury for all. However, methods of financing health care and retirement need to be modernized. In the future, luxury will be defined increasingly in terms of spiritual rather than material resources. The test of well-being in the future for both young and old will be measured increasingly in terms of the quality of health and the opportunity for self-realization.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (888.6 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Czeizel A. E., Dudás I. Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med. 1992 Dec 24;327(26):1832–1835. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199212243272602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fogel R. W., Costa D. L. A theory of technophysio evolution, with some implications for forecasting population, health care costs, and pension costs. Demography. 1997 Feb;34(1):49–66. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Friedman G. C. The heights of slaves in Trinidad. Soc Sci Hist. 1982;6(4):482–515. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lozoff B., Jimenez E., Wolf A. W. Long-term developmental outcome of infants with iron deficiency. N Engl J Med. 1991 Sep 5;325(10):687–694. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199109053251004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Manton K. G., Corder L., Stallard E. Chronic disability trends in elderly United States populations: 1982-1994. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Mar 18;94(6):2593–2598. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.6.2593. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McMahon M. M., Bistrian B. R. The physiology of nutritional assessment and therapy in protein-calorie malnutrition. Dis Mon. 1990 Jul;36(7):373–417. doi: 10.1016/0011-5029(90)90018-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Poortvliet W. G., Laine T. P. A global trend: privatization and reform of social security pension plans. Benefits Q. 1995;11(3):63–84. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rosenberg I. H. Folic acid and neural-tube defects--time for action? N Engl J Med. 1992 Dec 24;327(26):1875–1877. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199212243272609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]