Summary: A health gap exists in Britain: people in the wealthiest parts of the country, live on average more than a decade longer than those in the poorest parts. An academic discipline which tries to work out why this health gap exists has also grown. It’s called social epidemiology. Its findings have influenced governments all around the world. But not economists. They look at the same data and see something completely different. David Aaronovitch interviews the most prominent social epidemiologist, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, and hears the arguments against his science. Producer: Ruth Alexander
