Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-14

asindigcstion cold want Of exercise and the me.
In regard TO sleeping in the DAYTIME, there IL
something 70 be aid both for and against that
practice, A nap Of forty winks' IN the After
noon enables many aged people 20 get through
the rest Of the day m comfort. whereas they
feel tired and weak when deprived of this re
freshment. II they rest wen at night there can
be no objection to the afternoon nap, but IL
sleeplessness be complained of the latter should
be discontinued for a time Most old people
md that a reclining posture. with the feet and
legs raised. n better than the horizontal posi-
uon Tor the afternoon nap. Digestion proceeds
with more ease than when the body is recum-
bent
WARMTH AND CLEANLINESS
Warmth is very important for the aged. ex-
posure to chills should be scrupulously avoided.
Bronchitis Is the mslsdy most 30 be feared and
Its attacks are very easily provoked. Many old
people suffer from more or less cough during
the winter months and this symptom may recur
year after year, and be almost unheeded. At
last perhaps, a lew minutes exposure TO a cold
WIND increases the irritation IN the lungs the
cough becomes worse and the difficulty Of
breathing increases until suffocation termi-
mates IN death. To obviate such risk the skin
should he carefully protected by warm flannel
CLONES, the outdoor Thermometer should be
noticed and winter garments should
always be at hand. In cold weather the
lungs should be protected by breathing through
tns nose as much as possible. and by wearing
nght WOODEN or silken muller over the mouth.
Inc temperature of the sitting and bed rooms
Is another point which requires attention. Some
oiv people pride themselves on never requiring
nre In their bed rooms. 1t il. however. a
risky practice to exchange a temperature OF IS
or ~ degrees for one 10 OF 20 degrees lower.
As general rule, for persons sixty-sive wears
OF age and upward the temperature OF the bed
room should not be below % degrees and when
there are symptoms of bronchitis Il should be
raised > to 10 degrees higher.
Careful cleansing of the skin is the last point
winch needs TO be mentioned in AN article like
! The present Attention to cleanliness is de-
cidedly conducive to longevity and we may
congratulate ourselves Oh the general improve
ment In our habits IN this respect. Frequent
washing with warm water IL very advan tageous
| for old people, in whom the skin 10 only too
apt to become hard and dry. and the benefit
VIII De increased II the sblutions be succeeded
| by friction with coarse flannel or linen gloves
or with flesh brush. Every part of the skin
should thus be washed aud rubbed daily. The
iricuon removes WORKOUT particles of the skin,
ana The exercise promotes warmth and excites
preparation Too much attention can hardly
be paid to the state of the skin; the comfort OF
tue aged Is greatly dependent upon the proper
discharge Of its functions.
WILL THE LIMIT BE INCREASED?
Such, then, are the principal measures by
which life may be prolonged and health main
tanned down to the closing scene. 1t remains
to be seen whether. a result Of knowledge
and civilization, life will ever be protracted be-
yond the limit assigned to il in a preceding
paragraph. There is no doubt that the average
! duration OF human life is capable of very great
extension and that the same Causes which serve
to prolong life materially contribute toward the
happiness OF mankind. The experience of the
last few decades abundantly testiies 10 the
marked Improvement which has taken place in
the public health. Statistics show that at the
END OF the septennial period. lSsl-s7. 400. O0O
persons were alive ia England and Wales whose
death would have taken place had the mortality
Deen IN the same proportion as during the l,re-
yious decade. Ii may be reasonably expected
that as time goes on there will be an increase
| IN the proportion of centenarians to the popu-
| latlon as a whole.
! NOT ALWAYS DESIRABLE.
The question whether long life is. after all.
desirable does not admit of any general an
swer. Much depends upon the previous his
tory Of the individual and his bodily and men,
tai condition. The last stages Of a well-spen,
life may be the happiest, and while sources of
enjoyment exist, and pain is absent, the shut
fling on OF the mortal coil. though calmly ex-
pected, need not be wished for The picture
afforded by cheerful and mellow old age Is a
lesson to younger generations. Elderly people
may, II they choose, become centers of improy-
ing and refining influence. On the other hand.
Old age cannot be regarded as a blessing when
II is accompanied by profound decrepit ade and
disorder Of mind and BODY. Senile dementia.
or second childishness, is, of all conditions.
perhaps the most miserable. though not SO pain
| full to the sufferer as to those who surround
him. Its advent may be accelerated by ignor-
ance and neglect and almost assuredly re-
tarded or prevented by SUCH simple measures
ras have been suggested. No one who has had
opportunities of studying old people can shut
his eyes to the fact that many Of the incapable
ties OF age may be prevented by attention to
few simple rules, the observance of which
Will not only prolong life and make il happier
and more comfortable, but Will reduce to a
minimum the period Of decrepitude. Old age
may be an incurable disease admitting of but
one termination, but the manner of that end
and the condition which precedes it are,
though not altogether, certainly to a very great
extent, within our own power.