Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-07
SECRET OFLONG LIFE
CAN A HEALTHY PERSON PROlONc
HIS LIFE TO 200 YEARS?

~ [OU yEAHSE
The Theory Of "Retarding vital Cousump-
tion"-Fr.nklin and the F1ies-work tho
Heart Does-Recent Experiment In the
Partial Vegetarian system.
Among the various fantastic theories
for prolonging life one Of the most popu-
lar at the end of the eighteenth century
was what was called "retarding vital
consumption. Maupertuis fancied that
o 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
away and then resuscitated after q lapse
OF two or three centuries. Benjamin
Franklin even, while living in France,
seems to have had faith in this. Ono
day he received some bottles of wine
from Virginia In one Of them-only
one-were q few dead flies, which the
great philosopher resolved to utilize in
an experiment.. The month was July,
and these imported flies, which had
been on 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 to use their
legs, walked around awhile, and SEEM
ing to be aware that they were in
France Immediately concluded to make
their toilet by rubbing their eyes with
their fore feet, using their hind legs to
smooth out their wings. They then flew
| away to associate with Paris nies.
Franklin wrote of the incident:
Since by such complete suspension
Of all internal as well as external con.
sumption it is possible to produce q
pause of life and at the same time to
preserve the vital principle, might not
such process be employed in regard to
man? can imagine no greater pleasure
than to cause myself to be immersed,
along with a few good friends, in wine
and to be again called back to life at the
end Of so OF more years by the genial
solar rays Of my native country, only
that I 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
1.-THE vital principle. 1t is phrase that
has 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 &C.
| cretions 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 in the
blood rs to be unable to perform its reg
ular 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 so or 60
pounds Of blood in healthy movement
Really it is wonder that one does not
wear out long before he usually does
And 1t 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 lis years, and
whose heart is still going on after all
this enoromus expenditure Of force The
eyes, ears and stomach all have a rest,
but the heart keeps on through waking
hours as well as 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 dream. even the
brain seems to sleep, or at least it gives
peace and quiet.
| Much has been written and talked
about vegetarianism 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 We're vegetarians In fact,
most of these centenarians seem to have
lived just like common folk who die at
40 or so. If they had only taken care Of
themselves and kept their blood in good
condition, there is no telling but 200
years may have been scored Us easily as
| 100. Natural advantages being so great,
as shown by what they did do, q vague
sadness overcomes the social philosopher
when he thinks of what they might have
accomplished under more favorable con-
ditions for the success of the experiment.
As to the admitted advantages of q
partial vegetarian system of living, NJ.
Francisque Sarcey, the famous French
critic. has been trying il, and in a COM
municakion to one of the Partisan Jour-
mails gives his experience. Since April,
1898, he has touched no meat In Au-
gust of the same year he reports that he
is only "a moderate vegetarian
is. he only eschews meat and admits
eggs. cheese, butter, milk and fish to his
regimen. Contrary to the expectations