The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-27
MAY WE LIVE TO REACH 100!
4 DTSCOTERY THAT NAN ALREADY
LIVES LONGER THAN HE DID.


To DO told that under proper conditions wo
ought to livo one hundred years. and that tho
dIsconraging doctrine OF the influence Of
horedity In shortening life Is only true In q
limitad sense. IL interesting to most people.
DO. Rlso. IL tho circumstance that we are living
longer than we used to live. and he assurance
that much may yet hc done 10 rroong our
Iivos. Those and analogous torca wore given
In recent lecture by DR.. John Foster u Brad
ford. England. read ut tho February meeting OF
tho Sheffield Acknowledgements Society:
THE lato DIR. Farr In his description OF tho
march through lifo OF n million children. has
givon the following results: Nearly 100000
will die In the first year. $4,000 In tho second
yoar. $4,000 in tho third year. and less .lnn
1000 In tho thirteenth year. At the end Of 10
years 10000 or one-hulf. viii havo died.
At the beginning Of 60 years 10000 will still
be living. At the beginning of 80 years. 10000:
at IS years. IS 900 and ut % years. 100. At tho
beginning Of loo years there will DO 223. and ut
1O8 yenrs l. The mean lifetime OF both sexes
in England was calculated some yenrs ago TO
BIO 40.S5s. or nonrly Al years. Mr.. II. Hum
phreys has shown. however. that in the 8 years.
1876 to 1880. the moan age ut death was 1896
females 45.3). being q gain OF nearly ~ wears.
Thus within 20 years. Notwithstanding an in
creased birth rate density Of population. md
the unsnnitary condition OF towns suddenly
grown largo. more than % years have been
added to tho life OF every inhnbtant OF England.
Tho Spectator asks: What Is the kind OF life
which Is increasin.2 Arc We young longer or
mature longer. or old longer2 Do we live
longer. or are we only little 3lowor In
dying2' l nm bound to admit that somo OF
the gain in early life is lost in middle life; that
while the expectation OF life ut birth is az
more tho expectation from 35 to 60 Is q frac.
lon ross nu. no'".'a as , sna snsI. .n
crease OF mortality at 10 ana upward. large
portion OF the additional NIL survivors live on to
suo u'sne, "sr' vi i'ooo o'' =" '''o "o.'..ou "a.
number Of survivors Is 50 at tho age OF 40: 70
creasa ia much orootor amony femaIes nv Tar
..o"'o 70 niu." s'o ., ".'"s 'o"ee. -, i"'
ton Of o n @ is i roa a
On ana m II 10 intores,ip, 10 ,scort,in what
~ ~ w. w '%,i We r
Is the natural limit OF existence. Dr. farr
SAYS the natural lifetime OF man Is a century
That Ia tho length of time the body will live
under the most favorable conditions. Another
most interesting question is: When does old
ago commence? DR.. Farr has divided life as
follows: boynoou' ~ TO 10 years; youth. 10 10
.irorass * tn AZ, nd o,a n,,n q, al u,'r,.,
rlpeness' 10 TO 30: ana Ola age 80 anu upward.
Old age really begins In certain PATHOLOGY
cal changes which take place at different ages
Z
has,cn or hinder shoso chon,,os ri. hs,d ,hn,
hastch UT hihuer theSe chhhSes. IL Is nelu thit
develops iato the varied forms OF living beings.
ing life which builds up matter into living
tissue, and holds it together for q time and
the tenucity with which this force holds organ
lied matter together does not depend on sizs
gether. but rather probably on an even balance
between the several parts. and on something
more. As the strength OF a chain is equal
to ia
Alter the middle arch h Of life Is passed these
changes become commoner, and there is dan
ger. II We continue to put tho same pressure
on a weakened vessel: that it may burst In
IS a good deal more rest and steep are required
than in cnrlier manhood. Tho phys cal pow
should Iva ut their hast 1t Is probable that
some Of the greatest literary productions have
been tho work Of men bet Seen 30 and ~ Lly-
tnrs. science. art. and nolitcs may be cited in
proof. For many years after tho .leg-neratiyo
powers tho Intellectual powers remain com
paratively unaffected A Weakened nerve, fibre
may retain tai its continuity. md a diseased YES.
great length OF time ii no great strain is put
upon it.
following the fortunes Of the million children
born. We find that 800 1929 enter this age and
1911 leave 1t aiiva. Diseases OF tho brain
die OF old age The numbers that enter tho
next decennial-75 to Stare lGI 1874. and the
number that leave it alive are IS, 5i5 About
12a 800 die chiefly of lung brain, heart and
other local diseases. Nearly 81 600 die of
atrophy debility and old age Some writer
says that he has met few or no cases of death
from old age everybody dying of some rccor-
rized diseuse. II IL true that the symptonis Of
disease become obscure in old age many eases
OF pneumonia and other iplnnmutions p,-
Gaping recognition hut it is also true that
many deaf hs attributed to disease nre mainly
due to old age !: = ght injuries, cold heat. want.
or attacks which in early years would have
been shaken of or the million with which
we started. 2lj3 1.-Two to the aps Of g5-22J TO
100. Finally at tho age OF los ons solitary
life dies |'
Diseases may he diyjlel into two grant
classes-lhn Iur, ,i,ic anil tho ,l.ynnernt W.
The former ara more rrevalent in early md
the latter in the latrr stny.s If iire or r,n,.,,r
which il one 81 III" Diseases Of Old age il is uu
certain whether il brionrs TO tho nnrasitic ar
the depcnorntiys tyus As il ia the Inty ri tho
nh vatican TO L.ln man thrnuyn ma r,nnv nj
these stages and With rs iitttn nnin n ,o,.ible
IL beco,nes imnurtnnt In stuly how Ia nrntec;
him from ncc;'i.utaI lis,nscs nnu how Ia hus
bind hjs forces so that he may travail far over
the way before hi. strength shall fail Tine f,rst
essential Of liz. ia food nnI havnnd donm, TIC
mao ~ nrn i,nJ.rfru anil n ior,.o nrnnnr,inp
imnronerIy led The mnrtaiitv anon, tbe nnnr
and tho hnrJ worEei M Mi sta,.s ~ III, ia