The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-08-21
Long Life.
Fart N;obflu Rer;elr

If any one would know whether he is
likely to live long or to die soon let
him inquire whether old age runs in his
family or not, for the good tissues of
long life are apt to be hereditary, and
he may commit great many excesses
or other errors without killing himself
if he comes of long-!ived stock. In
like manner he may get much help to-
ward knowledge of the diseases to
which he is prone and which excesses
or other errors are likely to light up by
inquiring what diseases his forefathers
or kinsfolk suffered or died from. Some
diseases are notoriously reckoned to be
directly hereditary in like kind, for ex-
ample, epilepsy, phthisis and insanity.
When person has one of them we are
not at all surprised to learn that his
father or mother had it; indeed, we are
apt to treat the discovery as sufficient
explanation, and to think that no more
need be said. But it is not really an
explanation; it is merely an indication
of the direction in which the exact ex-
planation has yet to be sought. If it
be sufficient explanation, how does it
happen that all the children of the same
unsound father or mother do not suffer
in the same way? How is it that twins,
living under the same conditions, have
not always, as now and then they have,
the same diseases at the same ages? In
calling a disease hereditary it is not
really meant that the disease itself is
actually inherited by the offspring, who
in that case, would be born with it;
what is meant is that the latter inherits
certain organic constitution which,
being likely to undergo that pathologi-
cal development in the ordinary circum-
stances of life, is, therefore, described
as constitutional predisposition or ten
dency to the disease. We do not in the
least know what is the intimate nature
of the predisposition, but we know that
it may be greater or less in different
persons, and that it is thought to be SO
great in the cases of the diseases men
toned, and so likely to be transmitted
to children, as to be serious objection,
if not an actual bar to marriage. Those
who, having fallen in love, are aware of
the existence to them in their families
are therefore not little troubled some
times with scruples of conscience and
anxiously ask medical advice whether
they shall marry or not. In the end
they commonly marry, whatever the ad-
vice given them, having persuaded
themselves that the epilepsy was not
real epilepsy, but form of violent hys-
terra; that the lung mischief was not
constitutional phthisis, but the acci-
dental consequence of a neglected cold !;
that the insanity was not the outcome
of family degeneracy, but an accidental
blow on the head, which was thought
nothing of at the time. Would the
earth ever have been peopled had cool
reason been potent enough to quench
the hot passion of lover
sarA husband reading, while his
wife near him sat embroidering pair
of slippers, remarked: 'What surprises
there are in statistics. A German ply
sician affirms and proves by figures that
half of the female sex are touched with
insanity 'He is right replied the
wife, dryly, 'for more than half the
women prove it by getting married.
sGTommy (who has just received a
severe scolding) Am l really so bad,
mamma?
Mamma-Yes, Tommy, you are a
very bad boy.
Tommy (reaectively)--W anyhow,
mamma, l think you ought to be real
darn glad amt twins!
Ba~Fear and laziness can accept be-
liefs, only trust and courage will ques-
ton them. To reject consecrated opln-
ions demands consecrated mind.
p@Money and fame are the two
things that men work hardest for, and
after death one is worth to them about