The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-08-10
Hnmnn Llle GroVlng Longer.

There can be NO mistake about it, Fig
ures don't lie unless it is an "object" for
them to commit that ethical improperly
which is not the case in the present
instance. Human lie ia certainly length
sning, The number ofladies and gentle
men who live to see 80 years, 30, 100 in
creaaes from century 10 century. We are
swinging around the circle OF longevity.
Who knows but wO may bring up present.
ly at Methuselah2
The why and wherefore Oithis agreeable
state Of things are NOT far to seek. Our
revered ancestors were excellent people
in their way; in these centennial years,
especially, we are bound to think and
speak Of them with all flial respect and
tenderness. But how little they knew OIL
their own bodies; Of the laws OF health; oil
the nature and management OF epidemic
diseases; Of simple sanitary precautions
that are now as familiar as the alphabet
What doses they swallowed, and--must
we say it2-how seldom they bathed!
Medical science has made notable strides
in the last hundred years. Diseases that
quite perplexed and bailled the doctors OF
the last century are now well understood
and easily controlled. But this is only a
part Of the progress made. With 1t, has
come q difference Of hygienic information
among tho lOity, bearing fruit in improv-
ed habits Of living, In constantly in
creasing reliance upon the ounce OF pre-
yention as cheaper and more effective
than the pound Of cure. There is still
plenty Of room for improvement, from the
sanitary point Of view, in the modern
dwelling and in tho modern city, But
compare them with the dwelling and the
city Of the last century!
We said something about figures Here
are few from French medical journal.
The mean length Of life at Rome in the
higher classes from 300 10000 B. @. was
30 years. now In the corresponding classes
in the same city 1t is 80 years. In the
sixteenth century, the mean at Geneva
was between 20 and 81 years; from
1914 to 1888, ii varied from 40
to GS years at present, more Geneves
arrive at 10 years than arrived,
three centuries ago, al AZ, In the
year 1908, the English government nego-
tlated loan to be repaid in annuities,
basing It's calculations upon the average
duration Of life at that time, and made
handsome thing Of 1t. Pitt, in trying the
same method olraising the wind, assumed
that the ACREAGE duration Of life had re-
NAMED the same, and burned his fingers,
In the first Of these Confines that is
the proper name for thGm,-about TO-
900 male subscribers and as many female
died at the age of2S, In the second, only
BIZ men died at that age, and only G4lO
women. At the beginning OF the last cen
fury, as appears from report to Louis
Fourieenths project Of the Seine, the
yearly death.rate in Paris was one in 90 I;
at present II Is one in Al. II the rate Of
Louis Fourteenth's time had been main.
tained, there would now die in Paris, Cv.
cry year, II 1923 persons. Tho actual total
is between $4,000 and 10000. The med.
ical journal adds heintcresting statement
that the average yearly number Of deaths
in France atthe age Of 100 years and up.
ward Is at present liS. The computation
covers the decade and half since 1860.
There are several respects in which we
might protitubly take lessons Of our
grandfuthers and grnndmothers. But We
seem to have picked up n few wrinkles in
the art Of living-using the word, to be
surein It's lowest senSe-which they some.
how missed.