

Explore the science and medical innovations that conquered some of the world's deadliest diseases and doubled life expectations for many across the globe.
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Season 1
4 eps · 2021-05-11
Set in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, this series explores the lessons learned from previous global pandemics — including smallpox, cholera, the Spanish flu and others — and reveals how scientists, doctors, self-experimenters and activists launched a public health revolution, saving millions of lives, fundamentally changing how we think about illness and ultimately paving the way for modern medicine.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer airing schedule, episode calendar, cast, and synopsis. Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer airs on PBS.