Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-04
IS LIFE GROWING LONGER,
Some Reasons why Death is Supposed to
be Gradually Getting Further Away.

From the New York Sun
To be told that under proper conditions we
ought to live 100 years. and that the discourag-
ing doctrine Of the influence of heredty In short
ening life is only true In limited sense, is in
teresting to most people. So, also, is the cir
cumstance that we are living longer than we
used to live, and the assurance that much may
yet be done to prolong our lives. These and
analogous topics were given in a recent lecture
by DR.. John Foster OF Bradford, England read
at the February meeting OF the Sheffield
Medco-Chirurgical society: THE late. DR..
Farr. in his description Of the march
through life of million children, has
given the following results: Nearly $50 600 will
die in the first year. SO. 600 in the second year.
Is. 600 in the third year. and less than 1. 900 in
the thirteenth year. At the end o: As years
500. 900. or one-haf will have died. At the be-
ginning of go years 10000 will still be living
At the beginning of so years, 80, 600; at IS
years, IS, 600; and at % years. 2.100. At the
beginning of 100 years there will be 223. and at
los years 1. The mean lifetime of both sexes in
England was calculated some years ago to be
40. S5S. nearly Al years. Mr.. III. Humphreys
has shown, however that In the FIVE years. 1876
to 1880. the mean age at death was 43. Sc
(females 1879. being gain of nearly ga years.
Thus within 20 years, notwithstanding an in
creased birth rate, density of population, and
the unsanitary condition of towns suddenly
grown large more thOn 214 years have been
added to the life Of every inhabitant of Eng
land
1.-The Spectator asks: what is the kind of life
which is increasing? Are we young longer. or
mature longer. or old longer? Do we live Ion
ger. or are we only little slower in dying p
| am bound to admit that some of the gain in
early life is lost in middle life: that while the
expectation of life at birth is 2s4 more, the ex
pectation from So to so is fraction less. But
Notwithstanding the slight increase of mortality
at thirty-iye and upward. a large portion of
the additional suryiy ors live on to the higher
ages. OF 600 born. the additional number of
survivors is So at the age of A. 26 at IS; at
TO: at IS. and at S5 The increase is much
greater among females. By far the larger pro-
portion of the increased duration of human life
in England Is lived between 20 and CO." 1t is
interesting to ascertain what is the natural limit
of existence. DR.. Farr says the natural lifetime
of man is a century. That is the length of time
the body will live under the most favorable
conditions. Another most interesting question
Is: When does old age commence?" DR.. Farr
has divided life as follows: BoyhO0d, 10 to Is
years. youth. Is to 25; manhood. % to IS; ma
turity. So to IS; ripeness. IS to IS, and old age
So and upward.
In taking the period of Is to 70 and still
following the fortunes of the million children
born we find that 309. O29 enter this age and
1G1, 1874 leave it alive. Diseases of the BRAIN
heart and lungs are the most common; 81, 400
died of old age. The numbers that enter the
next decennial-75 to S5-are 161, 124 and
the number that leave it alive are Sc. 565.
About 1922 800 die chiefly Of lung. brain,
heart. and other local diseases Nearly
$1,000 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 recognized disease. 1t is true that the
symptoms of disease become obscure in old age
many cases of pneumonia and other infiamma-
lions escaping recognition. But it is also
true that many deaths attributed to disease are
mainly due to old age, slight injuries. cold, heat
want. or attacks which in early years would
have been shaken off. Of the million with
which we started. 2. 1876 live to the age of 95-
223 to 100. Finally, at the age Of 1OS one soil
tary life dies.