Death

== Causes ==
{{See also|List of causes of death by rate|Preventable causes of death}}

The leading cause of human death in [[developing countries]] is [[infectious disease]]. The leading causes in [[developed countries]] are [[atherosclerosis]] ([[heart disease]] and stroke), cancer, and other diseases related to [[obesity]] and [[aging]]. By an extremely wide margin, the largest unifying cause of death in the developed world is biological aging,<ref name="doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011" /> leading to various complications known as [[aging-associated diseases]]. These conditions cause loss of [[homeostasis]], leading to cardiac arrest, causing loss of [[oxygen]] and nutrient supply, causing irreversible deterioration of the brain and other [[tissue (biology)|tissues]]. Of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds die of age-related causes.<ref name="doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011" /> In industrialized nations, the proportion is much higher, approaching 90%.<ref name="doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011" /> With improved medical capability, [[dying]] has become [[respite care|a condition to be managed]].

In [[developing nations]], inferior sanitary conditions and lack of access to modern [[medical technology]] make death from [[infectious diseases]] more common than in [[developed countries]]. One such disease is [[tuberculosis]], a bacterial disease that killed 1.8 million people in 2015.<ref name="WHO2004data">{{cite web |publisher=[[World Health Organization|WHO]] |url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/index.html |title=Tuberculosis Fact sheet N°104 – Global and regional incidence |date=March 2006 |access-date=6 October 2006 |archive-date=30 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232509/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Malaria]] causes about 400–900 million cases of fever and 1–3M deaths annually.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Thomas, Global Health/Health Infectious Diseases and Nutrition |url=http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/mch/ch/techareas/malaria_brief.html |title=USAID's Malaria Programs |publisher=Usaid.gov |date=2 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040126050719/http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/mch/ch/techareas/malaria_brief.html |archive-date=26 January 2004 |access-date=19 September 2016}}</ref> The AIDS death toll in Africa may reach 90–100 million by 2025.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/mar/04/aids |title=Aids could kill 90 million Africans, says UN |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=4 March 2005 |location=London |access-date=23 May 2010 |archive-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829025536/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/mar/04/aids |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/03/AR2006060300229.html |title=AIDS Toll May Reach 100 Million in Africa |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=4 June 2006 |first=Terry |last=Leonard |access-date=26 December 2013 |archive-date=17 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217223543/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/03/AR2006060300229.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Jean Ziegler]], the United Nations Special Reporter on the Right to Food, 2000 – Mar 2008, mortality due to [[malnutrition]] accounted for 58% of the total mortality rate in 2006. Ziegler says worldwide, approximately 62 million people died from all causes and of those deaths, more than 36 million died of hunger or diseases due to deficiencies in [[micronutrient]]s.<ref>[[Jean Ziegler]], ''L'Empire de la honte'', Fayard, 2007 {{ISBN|978-2-253-12115-2}} p. 130.{{clarify|reason=The publisher and date given do not match ISBN listings. If Fayard was the publisher, the year should be 2005. Otherwise, the publisher must be LGF, Librairie générale française. Different versions can mean different pages (potentially even chapters) that we are referencing.|date=January 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Lewis Hine, Newsies smoking at Skeeter's Branch, St. Louis, 1910.jpg|thumb|American children smoking in 1910. [[Tobacco smoking]] caused an estimated 100 million deaths in the 20th century.<ref name=who />]]

Tobacco smoking killed 100&nbsp;million people worldwide in the 20th century and could kill 1&nbsp;billion people worldwide in the 21st century, a [[World Health Organization]] report warned.<ref name=who>{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/mpower_report_full_2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308173338/http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/mpower_report_full_2008.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2008 |title=WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008 |year=2008 |publisher=[[World Health Organization|WHO]] |access-date=26 December 2013}}</ref>

Many leading developed world causes of death can be postponed by [[diet (nutrition)|diet]] and [[physical fitness|physical activity]], but the accelerating incidence of disease with age still imposes limits on human [[longevity]]. The [[evolution of aging|evolutionary cause of aging]] is, at best, only beginning to be understood. It has been suggested that direct intervention in the aging process may now be the most effective intervention against major causes of death.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Olshansky |first1=S. Jay |last2=Perry |first2=Daniel |last3=Miller |first3=Richard A. |last4=Butler |first4=Robert N. |title=Longevity dividend: What should we be doing to prepare for the unprecedented aging of humanity? |journal=[[The Scientist (magazine)|The Scientist]] |volume=20 |pages=28–36 |year=2006}}</ref>

[[Hans Selye|Selye]] proposed a unified non-specific approach to many causes of death. He demonstrated that [[Stress (biology)|stress]] decreases the adaptability of an organism and proposed to describe adaptability as a special resource, ''adaptation energy''. The animal dies when this resource is exhausted.<ref name="SelyeAE2">Selye, H. (1938). Experimental evidence supporting the conception of "adaptation energy", Am. J. Physiol. 123 (1938), 758–765.</ref> Selye assumed that adaptability is a finite supply presented at birth. Later, Goldstone proposed the concept of production or income of adaptation energy which may be stored (up to a limit) as a capital reserve of adaptation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Goldstone B |year=1952 |title=The general practitioner and the general adaptation syndrome |journal=South African Medical Journal |volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=106–109|pmid=14913266}}</ref> In recent works, adaptation energy is considered an internal coordinate on the "dominant path" in the model of adaptation. It is demonstrated that oscillations of well-being appear when the reserve of adaptability is almost exhausted.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gorban A. N. |author2=Tyukina T. A. |author3=Smirnova E.V. |author4=Pokidysheva L. I. |year=2016 |title=Evolution of adaptation mechanisms: adaptation energy, stress, and oscillating death |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287251014 |doi=10.1016/j.jtbi.2015.12.017 |pmid=26801872 |journal=J. Theor. Biol. |volume=405 |issue=21 |pages=127–139 |arxiv=1512.03949 |bibcode=2016JThBi.405..127G |s2cid=9173426 |access-date=9 April 2016 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003101141/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287251014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Édouard Manet - Le Suicidé (ca. 1877).jpg|thumb|left|''Le Suicidé'' by [[Édouard Manet]] depicts a man who has recently committed suicide via a firearm.]]

In 2012, suicide overtook car crashes as the leading cause of human injury deaths in the U.S., followed by poisoning, falls, and murder.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-suicide-americans-car.html |title=Suicide now kills more Americans than car crashes: study |newspaper=Medical Express |first=Steven |last=Reinberg |date=September 20, 2012 |access-date=15 October 2012 |archive-date=6 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006051702/http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-suicide-americans-car.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Accidents and disasters, from [[Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents|nuclear disasters]] to [[Structural integrity and failure|structural collapses]], also claim lives. One of the deadliest incidents of all time is the Failure of the [[1975 Banqiao Dam failure|1975 Banqiao Dam Failure]], with varying estimates, up to 240,000 dead.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mufson |first=Steven |date=February 22, 1995 |title=RIGHTS GROUP WARNS CHINA ON DAM PROJECT |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/02/22/rights-group-warns-china-on-dam-project/313cd050-af56-4c2a-bf45-a00392e3d380/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306151637/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/02/22/rights-group-warns-china-on-dam-project/313cd050-af56-4c2a-bf45-a00392e3d380/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other incidents with high death tolls are the [[Wanggongchang Explosion|Wanggongchang explosion]] (when a gunpowder factory ended up with 20,000 deaths),<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Liang |first1=Guojian |last2=Deng |first2=Lang |date=April 29, 2013 |title=Solving a Mystery of 400 Years-An Explanation to the "explosion" in Downtown Beijing in the Year of 1626 |url=https://www.allbestessays.com/essay/Solving-a-Mystery-of-400-Years-An-Explanation-to/47238.html |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=AllBestEssays |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220133510/https://www.allbestessays.com/essay/Solving-a-Mystery-of-400-Years-An-Explanation-to/47238.html |url-status=live }}</ref> a collapse of a wall of [[Circus Maximus]] that killed 13,000 people,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Humphrey |first=John H. |title=Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing |date=1986 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-04921-5 |pages=80, 102, 126–129}}</ref> and the [[Chernobyl disaster]] that killed between 95 and 4,000 people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sovacool |first=Benjamin K. |date=May 2008 |title=The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421508000529 |journal=Energy Policy |volume=36 |issue=5 |pages=1802–1820 |doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2008.01.040 |bibcode=2008EnPol..36.1802S |via=Elsevier Science Direct |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217195652/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421508000529 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sovacool |first=Benjamin K. |date=August 2010 |title=A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia |url=https://content.csbs.utah.edu/~mli/Economies%205430-6430/Sovacool-Nuclear%20Power%20and%20Renewable%20Electricity%20in%20Asia.pdf |journal=Journal of Contemporary Asia |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=369–400 |doi=10.1080/00472331003798350 |s2cid=154882872 |via=Routledge |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306150720/https://content.csbs.utah.edu/~mli/Economies%205430-6430/Sovacool-Nuclear%20Power%20and%20Renewable%20Electricity%20in%20Asia.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Natural disaster]]s kill around 45,000 people annually, although this number can vary to millions to thousands on a per-decade basis. Some of the deadliest natural disasters are the [[1931 China floods]], which killed an estimated 4 million people, although estimates widely vary;<ref>{{Cite web |last=CBC Arts |date=August 30, 2010 |title=The World's Worst Natural Disasters: Calamities of the 20th and 21st centuries |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/the-world-s-worst-natural-disasters-1.743208 |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=19 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119154212/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/the-world-s-worst-natural-disasters-1.743208 |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[1887 Yellow River flood]], which killed an estimated 2 million people in China;<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Means |first1=Tiffany |last2=Pappas |first2=Stephanie |date=March 3, 2022 |title=10 of the deadliest natural disasters in history |url=https://www.livescience.com/33316-top-10-deadliest-natural-disasters.html |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=LiveScience |archive-date=2 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702232018/https://www.livescience.com/33316-top-10-deadliest-natural-disasters.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[1970 Bhola cyclone]], which killed as many as 500,000 people in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2017 |title="The 16 deadliest storms of the last century" |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/science/the-16-deadliest-storms-of-the-last-century/slidelist/60486966.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107131218/https://www.businessinsider.in/science/the-16-deadliest-storms-of-the-last-century/slidelist/60486966.cms |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Business Insider India}}</ref> If naturally occurring [[famine]]s are considered natural disasters, the [[Chinese famine of 1906–1907]], which killed 15–20 million people, can be considered the deadliest natural disaster in recorded history.

In animals, [[predation]] can be a common cause of death. Livestock have a 6% death rate from predation. However, younger animals are more susceptible to predation. For example, 50% of young foxes die to [[Bird of prey|birds]], [[bobcat]]s, [[coyote]]s, and [[Cannibalism|other foxes]] as well. Young bear cubs in the [[Yellowstone National Park]] only have a 40% chance to survive to adulthood from other bears and predators.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dohner |first=Janet Vorwald |title=The encyclopedia of animal predators: learn about each predator's traits and behaviors: identify the tracks and signs of more than 50 predators: protect your livestock, poultry, and pets |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-61212-705-7 |location=North Adams, Massachusetts |publisher=Storey Publishing |oclc=970604110}}</ref>

=== Autopsy ===
[[File:Rembrandt - The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting of an autopsy, by Rembrandt, entitled "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp"|An autopsy is portrayed in ''[[The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp]]'', by [[Rembrandt]].]]

An [[autopsy]], also known as a ''postmortem examination'' or an ''obduction'', is a [[medical procedure]] that consists of a thorough [[Medical examination|examination]] of a human [[dead body|corpse]] to determine the cause and manner of a person's death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present. It is usually performed by a specialized [[physician|medical doctor]] called a [[pathologist]].<ref name="Johns Hopkins Medical-2019">{{Cite web |last=Johns Hopkins Medical |title=Autopsy |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/autopsy |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Johns Hopkins Medical |date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=26 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626040047/https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/autopsy |url-status=live }}</ref>

Autopsies are either performed for legal or medical purposes.<ref name="Johns Hopkins Medical-2019" /> A forensic autopsy is carried out when the cause of death may be a criminal matter, while a clinical or academic autopsy is performed to find the medical cause of death and is used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for research purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maryland Department of Health |title=Forensic Autopsy |url=https://health.maryland.gov/ocme/Pages/Forensic-Autopsy.aspx#:~:text=A%20forensic%20autopsy%20is%20a,or%20contributed%20to%20the%20death. |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Maryland Department of Health |archive-date=4 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004011340/https://health.maryland.gov/ocme/Pages/Forensic-Autopsy.aspx#:~:text=A%20forensic%20autopsy%20is%20a,or%20contributed%20to%20the%20death. |url-status=live }}</ref> Autopsies can be further classified into cases where external examination suffices, and those where the body is dissected and an internal examination is conducted.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Madea |first1=Buckhard |last2=Rothschild |first2=Markus |date=June 1, 2010 |title=The Post Mortem External Examination |url=https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/77978 |journal=Deutsches Ärzteblatt International |language=de |volume=103 |issue=33 |pages=575–586; quiz 587–588 |doi=10.3238/arztebl.2010.0575 |pmid=20830284 |pmc=2936051 |access-date=16 February 2023 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306150726/https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/77978 |url-status=live }}</ref> Permission from [[next of kin]] may be required for internal autopsy in some cases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duke University School of Medicine |title=Autopsy Pathology |url=https://pathology.duke.edu/divisions/anatomic-pathology/autopsy-pathology#:~:text=The%20immediate%20family%20should%20be,brother%20or%20sister%20or%20guardian. |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Duke Department of Pathology |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628224102/https://pathology.duke.edu/divisions/anatomic-pathology/autopsy-pathology#:~:text=The%20immediate%20family%20should%20be,brother%20or%20sister%20or%20guardian. |url-status=live }}</ref> Once an internal autopsy is complete the body is generally reconstituted by sewing it back together.<ref name="Dolinak-2005" />

A necropsy, which is not always a medical procedure, was a term previously used to describe an unregulated postmortem examination. In modern times, this term is more commonly associated with the corpses of animals.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fadden |first1=Melissa |last2=Peaslee |first2=Jennifer |date=March 19, 2019 |title=What's a Necropsy? The Science Behind this Valuable Diagnostic Tool. |url=https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/article/whats-necropsy-science-behind-valuable-diagnostic-tool |access-date=February 15, 2023 |publisher=Cornell University |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604070211/https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/article/whats-necropsy-science-behind-valuable-diagnostic-tool |url-status=live }}</ref>