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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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The result has been that the deaths from heart -- heart attacks deaths, between the end of 1973 to the end of '77, have declined 8% - an enormous number of lives saved! The deaths from stroke from '73 to '77 have declined 17%. Now, this represents a total decline of over 400,000 deaths over the four years.

Q:

Now, this is, in effect, a successful marriage of medical techniques and publicity?

Lasker:

Just to point out -- the medical drugs were available since the late fifties (for 20 years), and it was just advertising and publicity to persuade people to go to see if they have a non-painful disease, but possibly fatal, and if they have, be treated to prevent heaving a heart attack or stroke.

Q:

It's an educational process?

Lasker:

It's an educational project. Well, it's a very unusual thing to get anything done about it, because most people are used to going if they have a pain or if they don't feel well, but people feel well usually with high blood pressure, until they have a stroke or a heart attack. Very seldom do they have any real warnings, unless they have their blood pressure taken.

Q:

Now, this has been continued this past year, right?

Lasker:

This has been continued, yes. In other words, the-and the decline in the national death rate has been about 6%. The overall death rate of the people of the United States. This is the first major decline since the coming of antibiotics, in the national death rate. Isn't that astounding?





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