Certain human primitive structures would not follow and would remain behind unchanged, living fossils behind the tracks of evolution's rolling wheel. Intelligence, being on the front line of evolution, identifies itself with the invisible wheel. Even if we cannot trace the road, we can foresee the direction. In our times, the medical profession, and through it, the mass media, have taken an interest in the study of the process of dying. In schools there is more talk about death than ever before.
Gerontology looks for ways to ease the symptoms of old age.
But the very problem of aging and dying remains timidly on the periphery. We know of course that the cycle of birth, breeding and dying is at the base of the ecological and social equilibrium. Old age and natural death do not exist among unicellulars. Each species possesses its own biological calendar. A 15 year old dog is an old dog, while a human of the same age is adolescent.