, 1885-10-17
H~EALTHFUL OLD AGE.
STATISTICS BEARING UPON THE
QUESTION OF LONGEVITY.
Some Of the Requisites for Long "Life'-
Changes Which Normally Occur in
Old Age-How the Bones Are
MISUNDERSTANDING.


Medical Record
With every year the average duration
OF life is increased. and we have more old
people on our hands Naturally. the
question becomes of increasing interest
How shall we secure a healthful old age.
aud how can we prolong IN comfort this
senility1
Some curious information regarding
this subject, though more especially re
garding h may be called "~centenarian.
ism, - has been published by a gentleman
OF Syracuse, n. Y, who. we are in.
formed. has collected the histories of TO-
900 people hat have passed the age of 100
wears According 10 this authority, the
United States leads In centenarian
Ion ,cviiy. while Connecticut Is ahead
Among the states. AS to sex. women; as
to occupation. soldiers, sailors. and
farmers are the longest lived Among
the professions. 100 ministers. thirty doc
tors. aud ten lawyers reached their cen
%tennial.
OF more practical and scientific charac.
ter are the statistics regarding longevity
obtained by the British Collective ~Investi-
CATION committee. These are based upon
over 800 returns. and relate TO persons
who have reached or passed the age of 80. y
Professor Humphrey, of Cambridge,
'8f 5Afth oOAA6 AAb1AtohAuk hN0ulIlOh1
based upon these returns in an Grafton re-
Gently delivered before the Medical Soci.
ETY. Of London.
The first requisite for longevity must be
an inherent quality of endurance. II some
thing which Is Unborn and perhaps inner
tied 1t is noticeable that the phthisical
faint does not necessarially lessen the ca
pacity for longevity. Among 500 aged
persons, phthisis appeared in fathers.
mothers, brothers. or sisters Of 80, that is,
in about II per cent. In ono case both
father and mother were phthisical.
A second requisite for long life is free.
dom from exposure TO casualties. 1t il
on this ground. In part. that more women
than men reach extreme age. Other rea-
sons. however. are, perhaps, a greater
natural vitality, since even in early life
the mortality is less among females than
males. 1t does not seem to be proved by
the data collected that short and small
men and women have any advantage over
those who are taller and larger. The
average height of old Englishmen is five
feet six inches, hat Of women five feet
three inches.
Professor Humphrey would limit quite
sharply the changes which normally
occur in old age. They are cumulative
rather than qualitative. There is a dimi-
mutton in material and force, with per
haps a slight increase in the oily matter
of the tissues; all other changes are
pathological.
Among the most marked of senile
changes are those of the bones. These
lose in weight. but not necessarily in size:
indeed, they may even increase in size by
a sub periosteal Justification. The interior
OF the bones becomes softened and filled
with marrow; the walls become thinned.
The ends of the bones are particularly af
fecied in this way, and hence the liability
OF the bones 10 fracture at these parts.
The alyeolar processes waste away. so
that in men above 30 the number of
teeth is only six. while in women 1t is but
three The Uranium generally becomes
thinner and lighter. In some cases, how
ever the skull walls are actually increased
in density and thickness by the osseous
deposits on he interior of the brain case.
Contrary TO the generally received
view. the cartilages of healthy old people
do not calcify and harden, but remain
elastic. They. however. undergo some
atrophy. which accounts for the decrease
in height.
In the same way Professor Humphrey
believes that Qualification Of arteries IS not
a process normal or common ut advanced
age. Among 1872 returns relating to the
pu Sc. it was found incompressible in only
scNeniy-lWO. IN 3bS returns, the arteries
were found knotty In only forty. We
cianol. however. place very much de
pendence upon such data.
The rae of the heart beat In old age
has been said by some Psychologists TO be
increased by others 10 be diminished
The Collective Investigation shows thai
there /, not much change. From the age
of y TO 70 il averages 1874 iu men. 1919
In women The respirations are n little
increase in frequency. especially in
women. Urinary troubles are Il well
known source OF discomfort and suffering
among old people They do not, how
ever. necessarily attend the decline of life.
Among To- males from 40 to ~ years Of
age, only six had any disease of the pros.
tate or bladder. In the next half decade.
however. the proportion was greater.
In old people wounds are known either
10 heal rapidly or to slough. The re
parative process is often rs rapid us in the
young.
Sir Henry Thompson. in u recent urti
Gle on Diet in Relation TO Age. - has
called attention TO .he harm that comes
from attempts to overfeed old people.
They are injured. he truly says, bg the
solicitous relatives. who think that in
feeding there IL sure help for the waning
strength. The old need a light diet to
correspond with the lessened work and
slower nutrition and waste OF their
tissues.