Last month, I became a great-aunt for the first time. After
my initial buzz of delight dissipated, I figuratively slid on the
microbiologist's white coat that I haven't worn in a number of years and
pondered a few moments. What were my chances of achieving great-aunthood, had I
lived in North America during the time of the Revolutionary War?

The average life expectancy at birth in North America now is
about 78 years. The top cause of death for both men and women isn't cancer, as
you may believe. It's heart disease, much of which is abetted by lifestyle
factors. Furthermore, heart disease in women isn't identical to heart disease
in men. (Visit WomenHeart for more information.) Folks, if you make
resolutions for the new year, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and make
a big one this year. Opt for healthier lifestyle habits in 2010.

Back in the time of the War of American Independence, the
average life expectancy at birth was about 35 years. What was the top cause of
death then? When you think of that particular war and death, the image of
starving, freezing soldiers at Valley Forge comes to mind. Also the
image of hundreds of soldiers dead on a battlefield.

But the leading cause of mortality for men and women at that
time was actually infection. In the late eighteenth century, people were
almost clueless about the spread of infectious diseases. Poor hygiene and poor
sterile technique. No antibiotics. If you weren't one of those soldiers sprawled on the battlefield, but you'd been injured in the battle, your
chances of death from infection excelled your chances of survival.

Even if you were never injured in battle, you contended with
diseases sweeping through your environment. Smallpox inoculations for soldiers
were just coming into vogue, but no inoculations existed for yellow fever,
malaria, typhoid, and cholera. For a short list of other pathogens that
circulated army camps and towns, take a look at the diseases for which children
are immunized today. In the early 1780s, an influenza pandemic proved an even
greater killer than those microbial heavyweights. And let's not forget the
incessant toll of pneumonia, often the cause of death as a secondary infection.
In North America, infection remained the leading cause of death until the twentieth century, when antibiotics and immunizations finally got the upper
hand on that agent of mortality.

Back to my original question. What were my chances of
achieving great-aunthood, had I lived in North America during the time of the Revolutionary
War? I'm blessed with a Class A immune system and disease fighting genes. When
I was a child, my immune system took out mumps, measles, and a mild case of
chickenpox. As an adult, my immune system has taken out a misdiagnosed case of
whooping cough and a misdiagnosed case of bubonic plague. (Note on the plague:
I'm fairly certain that partial CCR5 resistance conferred from my ancestors in
the British Isles saved my life.)

About fifteen years ago, right after my immune system
hammered a misdiagnosed case of E. coli, I contracted pneumonia as a
secondary infection. My exhausted immune system needed the help of antibiotics. I was 37 years old. Had I lived during the Revolutionary War, I
could very well have become a statistic: one more person who succumbed at about
average age of mortality to the leading cause of death. In other words, I
probably would not have lived to hold my great-nephew.

A huge reminder to consider what I, as a North American in
2010, take for granted — and count all my blessings.

Happy New Year to all. What blessings do you count?