#584 - A New Mechanism Of Disease

This conclusion has been a long time in the making. A British study in 1840 observed that "gentlemen" in London lived, on the average, twice as long as "labourers." Starting in 1911, British death certificates have been coded for social class based on occupation. (In the U.S., death certificates are coded for race or ethnicity without reference to class or occupation.) The British database of deaths coded by class has allowed many studies, which have shown consistently that lower social status is associated with early death.