Advances in medicine have bestowed longer and healthier lives on many Americans. But a disturbing study from the Department of Health and Human Services finds that death still comes sooner for blacks and some other minorities than it does for whites. According to the study, of the approximately 60,000 "excess deaths" reported among blacks each year, 18,181 were attributed to heart disease and stroke, 8,118 to cancer, 6,178 to infant mortality, 2,154 to cirrhosis and 1,850 to diabetes.
Outgoing HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler said that "knowledge and life- style" factors such as smoking, alcohol, diet and obesity accounted for much of...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
