The Yellowstone journal., 1894-09-13
SECRET OF LONG LIFE
CAN A HEALTHY PERSON PRoLONo
HIS LIFE TO 200 YEARSl

Among the various fantastic theories
for prolonging life one of the most popu
lar ut the end of the eighteenth century
was what was called ''retarding vital
consumption. Maupertuis fancied that
a complete suspension of vital activity,
. sort of Rip Van Wrinkle sleep, might
be produced so as to check self consump
ton. Bodies in this state could be laid
Gway and then resuscitated after lapse
Of two or three centuries. Benjamin
Franklin even, while living III France,
seems to have had faith in this. One
day he received some bottles of wine
from Virginia. In one of them-only
one-were few dead flies, which the
great philosopher resolved 70 utilize in
an experiment The month was July,
and these imported flies, which had
been ON a spree in Virginia had fallen
into the native wine and had been in
this state shipped to France, where they
were exposed to the heat of the French
sun. Three hours passed, and the winged
Virginians came TO life after an appar-
ent death Of many weeks. At first a
sort of convulsive movement seized
them They began then 10 use their
legs, walked around awhile, and seem
ing to be aware that they were IN
France Immediately canclrded to make
their toilet by rubbing their eyes with
their fore feet, using their hind legs 10
smooth out their vii p. They then few
away to associat. with Paris dies.
Franklin wrote Of the incident:
"Since by such complete suspension
of all internal as eel as external con
sumption IT j. : ,ssible 70 produce a
pause of .life am at the same time to
preserve The Wit principle, might not
such a process b employed in regard 10
man? l can lima Inc no greater pleasure
than to cause lyself to be Immersed
along with a good friends, in wine
and to be again called back 10 life at the
end Of SO or more years by the genial
solar rays of my native country, only
that l may see what improvement the
state has made and what changes time
has brought with it. "
1t was once thought that people died
from lack of what physicians called
''the vital principle. " II is phrase that
has a fine, vague, mysterious sound, but
it really means little or nothing Or, in
other words, it is now conceded that
death comes from disintegration, very
gradual often, it is true, in all the bod
lily organs brought about by the all i'm
portant blood being blocked up by ac-
oretions which close the channels lead
ing from the heart. Most magnificent
and most wonderful muscle as the
human heart is, it may get clogged in
Snrb rr-aH- - H.. -, .
blood as 10 be unable 10 perform its reg
ular functions. Then the life fluid can
not be kept in proper circulation. AL
lowing GO or 20 pulsations Of the heart
tho usual average-every minute. one
person has 100, 900 heart beats in the
space of one day. This means, or course,
that the heart and arteries are contracted
with such power as 10 keep 80 or 90
pounds Of blood in healthy movement
Really il Is a wonder that one does not
wear out long before Re usually does. .
And it forces a new kind Of admira- /
ton from the thinking man when he /
sees for the first time human being !
who has lasted 100 or 1lj years, ard /
whose heart is still going on after all /
this enoromus expenditure of force The |
out the heart keeps OH through waking |
hours as well a. through sleep Pauses
between the beats are all the vacation it |
gets, which seems TO be really no rest at |
all When one does not draarl, even the |
brain seem, 90 sleep, Or q, ica,J AZ -i,,s /
peace and quiet.
Much tias been written and talked !
about vegetariauism III relation To health |
and its effect on long life. IL l. not |
oiaimed. however by its strict advo- |
catezs that any of the great numbsr OF |
teople who have lived TO be 100 years
and over were vegetarians. In fact,
most of these centenaiians seem to have
lived Just like common folk who die ar
20 or 30. If they had oliy iaAen oaIe of
themselves and kept their blood in good
condition, there is no telling but 2Oo
years may have been scored as easily as
100. Natural advantages being so great,
a shown by what they did do, vague
saAness oyercomes the social philosopher
svf,en he thinks of what they might have
aCcomplished under more favorable con-
ditions for the success of the experiment
A to the admitted advantages OF
! Sortial vegetarian system of living, NJ.
Francisque Sarcey, the famous French
critic, has been trying it, and in COM
munication TO one of the Parisian jour
malls gives his experience. Since April
1898, he has touched no meat. In Au-
rust of the same year he reports that he
Il only "a moderate vegetarian that
Is, he only eschews meat and admits
eggs. cheese, butter, milk and FISH 10 his
regimen. Contrary to the expectations
of both himself and friends, he finds
that he is in much more vigorous health
and in better working condition under
tho influence Of his new menu than be-
fngs. At iirst he naturally felt hungry
/. n hour or two after eating, but alter
lprtnight the flesh craving passed away
md now he not only eats at the same
hours as before, but consumes much less
food. The advantages of the system aTo