Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-05-16
HUMAN LONGEVITY.

NJ. Flourens. aFrenchman, has published a
work on tho longevity of the human race, which
which has been reviewed in the Ediuburg Revue "
from which we gather n few items.
With respect to n rulo or starting point 20 de-.
terlnine the natural duration of human life, he as.
sumes the average period of growth, Or complex.
isu of bUny union, To be twenty wears. and then
assumes the relation Of the period of growth to
the duration of life u be as one to five, 81 that the
natural duration of the life of man is 100 wears.
The camel is s years growing, and he lives t. 40 :;
the horse 8 years growing, and he lives tn 25.--
In support of this conclusion OF the natural du.
ration Of human life, he cites several instances of
lite extending beyond that period. Thus Henry
Jenkins is reputed To have lived lG2 years, the
Countess OF Desmond l43, AMI Thomas PAR l52.
In the various records ut longevity. there are re-
puted examples of age exceeding $50 years, and
we have sufficient proof of the frequent prolon.
CATION of life to no, to 1870 and to 10 YEARS.
Sull the stubborn fact, attesteJ by experience,
stands gu. that the ordinary term of human life
does not exceed three score years and ten,"
AS to the comparative longevity of ancient and
modern times, there has been but little variation
since the age of Noses. Tho records of ancien,
Egypt, Assyria, Greece and ROME, all concur in
furnishing this general inference, that there has
been no marked change since that period. Nor
do they'furnish any memorials OF ancient lungey-
ity, or any other data on which to found the be.
life that the mean duration Of human life has
been, during this period, above that which belongs
to the age in which we now live.
Respecting the comparative longevity of differ
ent races. the test eSta'iishe | statistics lead TO the
conclusion of a general equality, though there are
reports showing a very great superiority in length
of negro life over that Of European life. The
American census would seem to indicate that the
chances of living above 100 are Is times as great
among the slaves. and 10 times as great in the ne.
grOes. as in the white population of tho country
| hat the sfJtI sites nF II ,an ana H., nnt D.. lu
in very good credit among Europeans, Mulattoes,
quadroons. dc. are generally supposed t, be short
lived. hut better attested details are wanted Ia
establish this point. Though there are some facts
that Indicate that there are some differences in
longevity among the different races, n. there is in
stature and bodily conformation yet, there are
reasons for believing that the disparity. when as
certained, will not be very considerable in
amount.
Respecting the sexes, the census Of almost ev
cry civilized country show IA considerable larsel
proportion Of females than of males attaining lO(
years though the cases Of extraordinary iongev
ity give a general equality of result for the tw,
sexes.
TIE relative longevity Of the learned profess
ions is a question upon which much light is thrown
by the tables of the life insurance conn miles,
They show thar, in England. the clergy exhibited
an average of life considerably beyond tha, o
any other class. The American clergy. we think
can hardly make SO healthy an exhibition. Con-
corning lawyers, no general conclusion can b.
drawn. The medical fraternity everywhere com,
low in the scale CT longevity.