St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-07-24
The Signs Of Longevity.

The Signs Of Longevity.
Every one Is interested in the
question Of long life Is applied to
himself, and all facts bearing on it
are noted with becoming feelings OF
self-congratulation or otherwise.
SAYS the Medical Record. It is the
staying power that is In demand,
backed by IN inherited and reserved
vitality Of resistance against the
usual evils Of which al flesh aud
other perishable things are subject.
The law OF heredity, which our life
insurance companies understand SO
we'll, is At the bottom Of all calcu-
lstions Is to whether . particular
man or woman is wound up for
seventy years OF will run down at
twenty OF forty gears. Aside from
this testimony, there are certain
physical qualities which have great
weight in determining the result of
the struggle againet . conspiring
environment. An oak has one con-
fieuration, and . cedar, pine, or
mullen stalk another. It is the
proper recognition Of such distinc-
t,ons that aids physicians in their
proguosis and turns the balance
against apparently desperate
chances. At . recent meeting Of
the Academy OF Science, Mr.. F.
W. Warner, in speaking upon the
subject Of biometry, offered sorre
very interesting data, which in the
main are true. He said:
Every person carries about with
hi m the physical indications Of his
longevity. A long-lived person
may be distinguished from . short
lived person 1t sight. In many in
stances y physician may look at the
hand OF . patient and tell whether
he will live or die. In the vege-
table Is well as in the animal king
dom, each life takes its char acter-
istics from the life from which it
sprung. Among these inherited
characteristics We find the capacity
for continuing its life for . given
length OF time. This capacity for
living We call the Inherent OF po-
tential longevity. Under favorable
conditions and environment, the in.
div,dual should live out the poten-
tiM longevity. With unfavorable
conditions this longevity may te
greatly decreased, but with . favor
able environment the longevity Of
the pereon, the family, Or the race
may be increased.
Herein are presented the two
leading considerations, always pre-
sent and always interdepcndcnt--
the inherited potentiality aud the
reacti0narY influences Of environ.
ment. He continues:
The primary conditions Of
longevity are that the heart, lungs,
and digestive organs, IS we'll rs the
brain. should be large. II these
organs arc large, the trunk will be
long and the limbs comparatively
short. The person will appear tall
in sitting and short in standing.
Tie hand will have q long and
somewhat he&vy palm and short
fingers. The brain will be deeply
seated, as shown by the eriiice Of
the ear being low. The blue hazel
or brown hazel eye, as showing IN
internission Of temperament, is 4
favorable indication. The nostrils
being large, open, and free indicate
large lungs. A pinched and half
closed nostril indicates small or
weak lungs.
These are general points of dis
tinction from those of sh0rt-lived
tendencies, but, of course, subject
to the usual individual exceptions.
Still it is we'll acknowledged that
the characteristics noted are ex-
pressions Of inherent potentially,
which have been proved ON the ba-
sis OF abundant statistical evidence.
Again he says truly:
In the case OF persons who have
short-lived parentage on one eide
and long-lived on the other side,
the question becomes more in
volved. 1t is shown in grating
end hybridizing that nature makes
. supreme effort to pass the period
Of the shorter longevity and extend
the life of the greater longevity.
Any one who understands these
weak and dangerous periods Of life
is forewarned and forearmed. It
has been observed that the children
Of long-lived parents mature much
later and are usually backward in
their studies.
Such observations are Of the high
est importance.
Reasons why Chamberlain's
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