The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-16 00:00:00

THE COMIIENCEMEN7 OF OLD AGE.

What are the signs of natural decay ? When does
old age commence ? The natural history of indivi-
dual death, without disease, is one of the subjects
which it remains for modern physicians to study.
When does the vital machine begin to wear out in
the typically healthy man, and what are the ways
by which normal decay, inevitable death, invades the
aged man ? With our modern means of precise ob-
servation and minute pathological research we should
be able now to lay the foundation for the answer to
this most important question. The subject is sug-
gested to us by a most thoughful, able, and well-
written thesis on death, considered from the etiological
points of view, by Dr. Acosta, of Paris, which will re-
pay the perusal of reflective men. Discussing the
difficulty of determining the commencement of old
age, Dr. Acosta reminds us that, while the Greeks
regarded the age of 49 (seven times seven, their
climacteric number) as the culminating point of
human strength, and, at the same time, as the com-
mencement of decadence, M. Flourens holds that
decadence does not commence until the 70th year--
an age which the Chinese, according to Sir John
Bowring, regard as a metaphorical one, calling
those who have attained to it " rare birds," and
men of 90 years old " loiterers." The two climac-
teric ages of the Arabs were 63 and 81, being the
multiplication of nine (their magic number) by seven
and nine. The age of 63 was consideredso critical that
it was called the grand climacteric, and the ancients
were accustomed to mutually congratulate each
other when they had passed it. Quetelet, to a
certain extent, admits the danger of this critical
period, for he says, " From 60 to 65 years of age
vitality loses much of its energy—that is to say,
the probability of continuing to live diminishes
greatly." M. Reveille-Parise, while, in common
with some other physiologists, allowing the
existence of two sources of strength in the constitu-
tion, which he names force in reserve and force in
use, believes that the physiological fact which reveals
old age is the progressive diminution of reserved
force so superabundant in youth. There
certainly exists some organisations which are
proof against the ravages of time and the
,attacks
of sickness and death. Some merfat the age of 80,
90, even 100 years, have preserved their sensorial
and intellectual faculties, and great mental energy,
even to the last days of their life. A complete list
of them would be too long. We will, therefore,
only mention a few names. Plato died at the age
of 81, pen in hand. Georgias continued his literary
labours to the age of 107. Socrates wrote his famous
" Panegyric of Athens" in his 94th year—[a slip of
the pen, this, on the part of our learned contempo-
rary, who Imams here, of course, not Socrates, but
Isocratos]—Theophrastus his " Characters" at 99 ;
Cato learnt Greek after his 60th year; Cicero com-
posed his charming work, " D Senectute," one year
before his violent death ; Voltaire wrote a number
of tragedies, " Taticrele" and " L'Orplieliu de la
Chine," among others worthy of his best time, at the
age of 65, and ho came to Paris in his 81th year to
give himself an intellectual treat, the representation
of his tragedy of " Irene." There are also still liv-
ing members of our profession, as well as the lite-
rary, scientifie,e and political world, who would
illustrate the list of Nestors, remarkable both for
their longevity and for the intellectual labours to
which they continue to devote themselves. Disraeli
has said, " Old age has been a thing unknown to
many men of genius."—[The elder Disraeli may
have said this—but the younger Disraeli has said—
if we remember rightly, it is in " Couingsby"—" we
will not say that youth is genius, but, at any rate,
genius when young is divine."].—British Medical
Journal.