Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:08:18.774Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The human lifespan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

Bernard Benjamin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines the distribution of deaths in life tables for the population of England and Wales as a means of exploring the way in which the length of life is steadily advancing. To assess the possibility for future extension, some extreme assumptions are made about the reduction in mortality rates for certain causes. A distinction is made between ‘anticipated' deaths and ‘senescent' deaths, the latter group falling within bounds either side of a terminal peak in the distribution of deaths by age. For males, the extreme assumptions yield a peak at age 86 with some 85 per cent of deaths within the senescent area. For females, the peak is at about age 92 with 90 per cent of deaths in the senescent area.

Keywords

LIFE SPANLENGTH OF LIFEMORTALITYLIFE TABLESSENESCENCEDISTRIBUTION OF DEATHS
Type
Part 4 — Human Populations
Information
Journal of Applied Probability , Volume 19 , Issue A , 1982 , pp. 159 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © 1982 Applied Probability Trust 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benjamin, B. (1957) The measurement of morbidity. J. Inst. Acturaries 83, 225–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benjamin, B. (1980) Smoking and mortality. Proceedings of International Union for the Scientific Study of Population Conference, Fiuggi Terme, Italy.Google Scholar
Clarke, R. D. (1950) A bioactuarial approach to forecasting rates of mortality. Proc. Centennial Assembly Inst. Actuaries 2, 12–18.Google Scholar
Comfort, A. (1956) The Biology of Senescence. Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Comfort, A. (1970) The prolongation of vigorous life. Impact of Science and Society 20, 307–319.Google Scholar