aeq@pucc-h (Sargent) (12/15/83)
U.S. News & World Report this week quotes a study which shows some curious facts about the Soviet empire. The life expectancy at birth in the USSR actually dropped between 1965 and 1980. I don't have the figures in front of me, but I think these are accurate: The life expectancy of females dropped only slightly, from 74.1 to 73.5 years. But the life expectancy of males plunged from 66.2 years to 61.9 years. Much of this increased likelihood of death is due to heavy alcohol consumption; at least 50% of fatal accidents in the USSR are alcohol-related; 80% more alcohol was bought in Latvia in 1980 than in 1970 (as an example); the average Latvian spends more on booze than on clothes; and (the real zinger) the death rate for alcohol poisoning in the USSR is 88 times that in the USA! I'm glad my grandparents left Lithuania (next to Latvia) early this century. -- Jeff Sargent/...pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
pector@ihuxw.UUCP (Scott W. Pector) (12/19/83)
And I'm glad that mine left Lithuania (paternal grandparents) in the 1890s and Poland (maternal grandparents) in the 1900s. An interesting book to read on the Soviet medical system (as well as a source on various Soviet health statistics, i.e., the average Soviet woman can expect to have 6, count 'em, SIX abortions in her lifetime) is called "Inside Russian Medicine," which was written by an American doctor who was the first American physician to travel with American trade shows in the 1970s. He did so because one time an American in such a show had appendicitis and died while being treated in a Soviet hospital. Nobody understood why that happened, and the State Department admitted that they knew nothing about Soviet medical practice. It was felt that it would be better to have an American physician go along to see that things were done right until they were certain about the Soviet medical system. The book was published in 1981, I believe. Scott Pector
elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner) (12/19/83)
> U.S. News & World Report this week quotes a study which shows some curious > facts about the Soviet empire. The life expectancy at birth in the USSR > actually dropped between 1965 and 1980. I don't have the figures in front > of me, but I think these are accurate: The life expectancy of females dropped > only slightly, from 74.1 to 73.5 years. But the life expectancy of males > plunged from 66.2 years to 61.9 years. Much of this increased likelihood of > death is due to heavy alcohol consumption; at least 50% of fatal accidents in > the USSR are alcohol-related; 80% more alcohol was bought in Latvia in 1980 > than in 1970 (as an example); the average Latvian spends more on booze than > on clothes; and (the real zinger) the death rate for alcohol poisoning in the > USSR is 88 times that in the USA! This sounds a bit incredible, but having spent a little time in the SU, I can believe it. The rate of vodka consumption among nearly all of the Soviet scientists I met was truly amazing. Also extreme public drunkeness was much more common than in any other country I have visited extensively. One of my colleagues there claimed that the vodka supply never dried up (unlike all other consumer goods) even in times of short food supplies because vodka production was given priority over food uses in the distribution of the potoato crop. Perhaps he was pulling my leg. Another popular jest was that the Communist Party would not out last the vodka supply by a week (this one was only told among small groups of friends in private, of course). Ed Turner astrovax!elt
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (12/19/83)
My goodness, Scott, you have made a fatal mistake in your last article. You said that the book was written by an American doctor. You should know by now that, according to some of the net readers, anything written or said by an American anybody is immediately suspect and thus open to flames. Don't you remember, Americans all lie and cheat, according to the most prolific of the net's political pundits. Better be careful when you quote a source next time or the boogey-men will get you. Better you should read all about Soviet advances in Soviet Journals where only the truth is written. Five will get you ten that several netters are preparing flames about your article right this minute. They just hate it when someone says there is something wrong with the Soviet system. Flames on "apologists". T. C. Wheeler