The Yellowstone journal., 1894-09-14
SECRET OF LONG LIFE
CAN A HEALTHY PERSON PROlONG
HIS LIFE TO 200 YEARSl

Heart Does-Recent Experiment In the
Partial Vegetarian system.
Among the various fantastic theories
Tor prolonging life one of the most popu
lar at the end Of the eighteenth century
Wa what was called ''retarding vital
consumption. Maupertuis fsncied that
. complete suspension of vital activity,
q sort of Rip Van Winkle sleep. might
be produced so as to check self consump
tion. Bodies in this state could be laid
away and then resuscitated after a lapse
Of two OF three centuries Benjamin
Franklin even, while living i'll France,
seems to have had faith in this. One
day he received some bottles of wine
from Virginia. In one Of them-only
ene-were a few dead flies, which the
great philosopher resolved to utilize i'll
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 ot the French
sun Three hours passed, and the winged
Virginians came u life after an appar-
ent death of many weeks. At first "A
sort of ccnvulsive movement seized
them. They began thCn to use their
legs, walked around awhile, and SEEM
ing TO be aware that they were in
France immediately conclU led to make
their toilet by rubbing their eyes with
their fore feet, using theiI hind legs TO
smooth out their wings. They then flew
away TO associate witt Paris flies.
Franklin wrote Of the il cident:
"Since 10y such a con plote suspension
Of all internal as well as external CON
sumption it il possil to produce a
pause of life and at ne same time TO
preserve thesvital pr iciple, might not
such a process I've EN- ioyed in regard TO
man? / can imagine 10 greater pleasure
than to cause mysC 70 be immersed,
along with a few good friends, in wine
and to be again ca led back to life at the
end of so or more years by the genial
solar rays of my native country, only
that / 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. 1t is a phrase that
has a fine, vague, mysterious sound, but
IL 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
sly organs. brought about by the all i'm
f-ortant blood being blocked up by ac-
Getions 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
such way by the earthly salts ia the
blood as to be unable 10 perform its reg
alar functions. Then the life fluid can
not be kept in proper circulation. AL
lowing 60 or 20 pulsations of the heart
the usual average-every minute one
person has 100, 900 heart beats in the
space of one day This means, of course,
that the heart and arteries are contracted
with such power as tO keep 30 or 90
pounds of blood in healthy movement.
Really it j. u wonder that one dos not
wear out long before he usually does.
And it forces a new kind of admira-
ton from the thinking man when lie
sees for the first time human bciuG
whose heart is still going on after all
this enoromus expenditure Of force. The
eyes, ears and stomach all have rest,
but the heart keeps on through waking
kours as well as through sleep. Pauses
between the beats are all the vacation II
xots, which seems to be really no rest at
all. When one does not dream. even the
brain seems to sleep, or at least 1t gives
peace and quiet.
Much has been written and talked
shout yegetarianism in relation TO health
and its effect on long life. 1t is not
claimed, however, by its strict advo-
Gates that any of the great number of
people who have lived to be 100 years
and over were vegetarians. In fact,
most of these centenarians seem TO have
lived Just like common folk who die AZ
20 or so. II they had only taken care of
themselves and kept their blood in good
oondition. there is 10 telling but 200
years may have been scored as easily as
100. Natural advantages being 10 great,
q shown by what they did do. q vague
sadness overcomes the social philosopher
when he thinks of what they might have
sscomplished under more favorable con-
Sitions for the success of the experiment.
A 10 the admitted advantages Of
partial vegetarian system of living, NJ.
Francisque Sarcey, the famous French
critic, has been trying ii, and in COM
munication to one of the Partisan jour
nals gives his experience. Since April,
s608, he has touched no meat. In Au-
gust Of the same year he reports that he
h only "a moderate vegetarian'-that
i. he only eschews meat and admits
eggs. ohesse. butter, milk and fish to his
regimen Contrary to the expectations
of both himself and friends, he finds
thst he is in much more vigorous health
aad in better working condition under
the influence of his new menu than be-
fmB. At first he naturally felt hungry
IN hour or two after eating, but after
fsetuight the flesh craving passed sway.