The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-09-07
miscellaneous.
FACTS ON LONGEVITY
THEY ARE MIXED IN WITH NOTIONS
THAT ARE SOMETIMES ODD.
Climate Is One OF the Most Important Fac
tors In Determining the Length of Life.
Ireland, Great Britain, California and
Virginia-Ehect of False Teeth.

Whether a human being or any other
animal lives eight times the number Of
years it takes to grow or only five times
as long is a point not yet determined.
Some writer's argue that man grows till
he is %. Therefore, as Hufeland urged,
he has the possibility of extending his life
to 300 years if he lived properly, as nature
dictates. Modern theories incline to the
other rule that on the average one grows
to the age of 20, and five times the period
of growth is the limit of human endur-
ance, no matter how carefully one lives.
This theory will apply to horses, dogs,
cats, and, in fact, to almost all kinds of
brutes one has opportunities of studying.
When Thomas PARIS body was opened
at his death, in his one hundred and fifty
second year, the state of the organs on
which longevity most depends was found
SO perfect that it is stated he might have
lived much longer If he had remained in
his country home instead of being brought
up to London to be shown to the king
and thus subjected to complete change
of diet and all the excitement of the new
life.
Climate is supposed by many to have
greet influence upon human life. Scotland
and England as we'll as Ireland have pro-
duced some remarkable specimens of long
livers. In fact, islands seem to be favored
in respect to longevity. France, Spain
and Italy have not furnished many speci-
mems of centenarians, while Greece is still
famous as it was formerly. Too great a
degree of cold is prejudicial to length of
life, as in Iceland and parts of northern
Siberia it is not usual to meet people of
more than 60 or 40 years of age, though
in moderately cold countries life is long
Between the years 1888 and 1874 there
died in England 7SS persons of 100 years
and upward. Of these 532 were women
and 256 men. OF this list only 72 were
from London, while 1877 were from Wales
showing, rs all statistics seem to prove,
that city life is unfavorable to length of
years. while the country and small towns
produce those who attain to extreme old
age. Germany and Holland contain many
old people, but produce few instances of
extreme long life as in Great Britain.
If a person desires to live to be 100 or
150 years of age, southern California, near
Los Angeles or San Diego or somewhere
in that vicinity. has advantages of climate
that may be most favorable to o long,
calm, happy life. A temperature that
never changes suddenly to great extremes
is surely best for the body, and u condi-
ton Of the clements that permits one to
live u great deal in the open air, to sit by
open windows even when not out of doors
to lounge on open verandas and to dis
pense with close, heated rooms is the ideal
climate for the determined philosophical
centenarian. Too great moisture as we'll
as too much dryness is unfavorablc to
long life, while u moderate degree of mois-
ture Is conducive to longevity. Islands
like Great Britain and Ireland prove this
to be true by the long list of people they
produce of century and upward. 1t has
been charged by the English that Irish
women often exaggerate their ages, but
if they have documentary evidence one
must believe them. Among Americans,
however, most of the very old people have
been born in Virginia, and though they
did not always remain there they laid the
foundation of good, lasting constitution
in the Old Dominion.
But no matter where q man was born,
the closer he follows nature, the more he
lives in the clean, open air and sleeps in
it ALSO the less medicine he takes, and the
fewer doctors bills he pays. Modern life
is too full of luxury, dissipation, corrup-
ton and vice to produce many men of even
100 years of age. The higher the pressure
the shorter the duration of existence.
Moderation in every thing-mode of liv-
ing, temper, food, exercise and pleasure
is the true method of preserving good
health and prolonging life. If you think
it is too much trouble, then go ON indulg-
ing in your excuses, mental and physical,
taking your drugs and lying in bed with
the knocker or bell tied up and muffled
and thanking the doctor if there is not
black Grape on the door.
A large number OF ccntenarians whose
cases have been examined and reported
upon appear to have lost, some of them all
and some of them nearly all, their teeth.
Sir Henry Thompson thinks that tho use
of false teeth is injurious to the old folks,
as they are led astray and apt to eat more
than can be digested properly. The sys-
TEN in such subjects instead of requiring
more nourishment to keep it up than in
the middle aged and young really requires
less. Excess would therefore be injurious,
as it gives the organs too much to do, just
as so many persons take up some fad, as
drinking hot water or cold water, to ex-
cess.
Natures rule is in all cases best. Only
drink when you are thirsty and only
enough to satisfy the thirst. Expelling
surplus water from the system merely
adds to the work Of the organs without
affording any real compensating advan-
tages Dumb animals even know better
than to do such things. But, then, they
do not have any doctor but old Mother
Nature, who prescribes, by instinct. AS
to the false teeth, however, 1t is stated by
Sir Richard Owen that they help mastica-
ton, as of course they do, and therefore
assist digestion and assimilation. Lord
Brougham, who died at 80, and Lord
Lyndhurst, who lived to the age of 81,
both agree with Sir Richard against Sir
Henry. Three to one, and the three not
theorizing, but speaking from experience.
Therefore in the great question, false teeth
or false theory, the point must be decided
in favor of the former. Tribune.