The record-union., 1897-01-07
WILL YOU LIVE TO BE OLD?
Some of the Signs of Longevity Noted
by Physicians and Savants.

Every one who is interested in the
question of long life as applied to him
| self. and all facts bearing on it are
noted with becoming feelings of self
congra tulation or otherwise. 1t is the
staying power that is in demand, back
| ed by an inherited and reserved vitality
! of resistance against the usual evils TO
which all flesh and other perishable
things are subject.
The law of heredity. which our life
| insurance companies understand so we'll,
! is at the bottom of all calculations as
| to whether a particular man or woman
is wound up for seventy years or viii
run down at twenty or forty years.
! Aside from this testimony, there are
| certain physical qualities which have
great weight in determining the result
| Of the struggle against a conspiring
| environment. An oak has one confg-
/ uration, and a cedar, pine, or MULLEN
stalk another. It IS the proper recogni-
| ton of such distinctions that aids
| physicians in their prognOsis. and turns
! the balance against apparently desper-
| ate chances.
| AT a recent meeting of the Academy
| of Science, r. w. Warner, in speaking
upon the subject of biometry, offered
| some very interesting data, which are
| in the main true.
Every person." said he, carries
about with him the physical indications
| of his longevity A long lived person
may be distinguished from short
| lived person at sight. In many instances
a physician may look at the hand of a
patient and tell whether he will live or
die
I'm the vegetable as we'll as in the
animal kingdom, each life takes it's
characteristics from the life from which
it sprung. Among these inherited char
acteristics we find the capacity for con-
tinuing its life for a given length OF
time This capacity for living we call
the inherent or potential longevity.
Under favorable conditions and en-
virOnments the individual should live
out the potential longevity. With un-
favorable conditions this longevity may
be greatly decreased, but with a IA
Yorable environment the longevity of
the person. the family or the race may
be increa Sed.''
Herein are presented the two leading
considerations always present and al
ways interdependent-th inherited po-
tentiality and the reactionary influences
Of environment
The primary conditions of longevi-
ty," he continues, ARE that the heart,
lungs and digestive organs, as well as
the brain, should be large If these or
ganS are large, the trunk will be large
and the limbs comparatively short The
person will appear tall in sitting and
short in standing. The hand will have
a long and somewhat heavy palm and
short fingers. The brain will be deeply
seated as shown by the orifce of the
ear being low The blue hazel or brown
hazel eye, as showing an intermission
of temperament, is a favorable indica-
ton. The nostrils being large, open and
free indicates large lungs. A pinched
and half closed nostril indicates small
or weak lungs"
These are general points of distinction
from those of short lived tendencies.
but, of course. subject to the usual in
dividual exceptions. Still, it is we'll ac-
knowledged that the characteristics
noted are expressions of inherent po-
tentiality, which have been proven on
the basis of abundant statistical evil
dtnce.
Again he truly says:
I'm case of persons who have short
lived parentage ON one side and long
lived on the other side, the question
becomes more involved. 1t is shown in
grating and hybridizfng that nature
makes a supreme effort to pass the Pc
riod of the shorter longevity Any
one who understands these weak and
dangerous periods of life is forewarned
ard forearmed. 1t has been observed
that the children of long lived parents
mature much later and are usually
backward in their studies. Medical
Record.