The Opelousas courier., 1895-09-21
SECRET OF Long LIFE
CAN A HEALTHY PERSON PROLONG
HIS LIFE TO 200 YEARS2

Iltl ~-F IA AK tttT ti>
Heart Eoes-Eeccnt Experiment In the
Partial Vegetarian System.
Among the various fantastic theories
for p~rolonging life enc of the most popu-
lar at the end of the eighteenth century
was what was called '~'retarding vital
! consumption Maupertuis fancied that
a complete suspension Of vital activity,
a sort of Rip Van Wrinkle sleep, might
be produced 50 as to check self consu1np'
ton. Bodies in this state could be laid
away and then resIScitated after Il lapse
Of two or three centuries. IicnJamil:
Franklin oven. while living i'll France,
Gems to have had faith in this. One
dav he received some bottles OF wlne
from Virginia, In one OF them-only
one-worc few dead flies, winch the
great philosopher resolved TO utilize III
an experiment.. The month was July,
and these imnorted flies, which had
been on q spree i'll 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
SUI. Three hours passed, and the winged
Virginians came to life after an appar-
ent death Of many weeks. At first &
sort of c0nvulsiyo movement seized
them. They began then to use their
legs, walked around awhile, and eem-
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 ont their wings. They then flew
away to associate with Paris flies.
Franklin wrote of the incident:
"Since by such ~acomplctc suspension
Of all internal as we'll as external coll
sumption it is possible to produce a
pause of life and at the samo time to
preserve the vital principle, might not
such a process be employed in regard to
man? I can imagine no greater pleasure
than to cause myself to be immersed,
along with q few good friends, i'll wine
and TO be again called back to life at the
end Of 80 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
tchas brought with it. -
It was once thought that people died
from lack Of what physicians called
"the vital principle It is q phrase that
has q fine, vague, mysterious sound, but
it really means little or nothing. Or, III
other words, it is now conceded that
death comes from disintcSration, very
gradual often, it is true, i'll all the bod
ily organs, brought about by the all I'M
portant blood being blocked up by ac-
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 III
such q way by the earthly salts in the
blood as to be unable to perform it's reg
ular functions. Then the life fluid call-
not be kept in proper circulation. Al
lowing 60 or 70 pulsations of the heart
tho 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 q wonder that II does not
wear out long before he usually does.
And it forces a sew kind Of admlra-
ton from the IT, (ing man when he
sees for the first no a human being
who has lasted 100 or 115 years, and
whose heart is still going OIL after all
this enoromus expendit "e of force. The
eyes, cars and stomach all have q rest,
but the heart keeps on til '1ugh waking
hours as well as through s}ep. Pauses
between the beats are all the vacation 1t
gets, which seems to be really no rest at
all. When one does not dream, eve the
J brain seems to sleep, or at least it 6. res
ace and quiet.
era. Iuch has been written and talked
aBes> vegetarianism in relation to health
and +. feet on long life. 1t is no
claimed, 'ewever, by its strict advo-
Gates that y Of the great number OF
people who anve lived to be 100 years
and over were v~egctarians. 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 i'll good
condition, there is no telling but 200
years may have been scored as easily as
100. Natural advantages being 80 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 a
partial vegetarian system of living, M,
Francisque Sarcey, the famous French
critic, has been trying it, and in a com
munication to one Of the Partisan jour
nails gives his experience. Since April,
1898, he has touched no meat. In Au-
gust Of the same year he geports that he
is only "a moderate vegetarian"-that
is, he only eschews meat and admits
eggs cheese, butter, milk and fish to 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
the influence of his new menu than be
fore. At first he naturally felt hungry
I'll hour or two after eating, but after {
fortnight the flesh craving passed away,
and now he not only eats at the sam
hours as before, but consumes much less
food. The advantages Of the system are
described by him as most remarkable
His mind is clearer, and he feels more
disposed for work. He is no Longer
sleepy after meals, his brain is fresher
his limbs more elastic, and, more aston
ishing still, he can stand more fatigue
Formerly he felt the need of stimu
lants, and now he has done away will
such things. He does not smoke, and HI