Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-11-25

"iii'H dic dTTanStu clcctrlc HENlS OF
great intensity and other electric fix
lures. After remaining in this mys.
teriOuS luminous bath for five minutes
he rcgains his maximum of viyor, and
thus has his youthful vitality restored
while he waits. The bometer after
wards indicated that the vital current
had been reversed and is working over
time.
The writer Il day or two ago talked
over these matters with DIR. Elmer
Gates, the progressive inventor and
eXperimenter.
"It is my belief" said DIR. Gates,
"that man should be able to do as
we'll as many animals do-live eight
or nine times rs long AZ the period be-
fore maturity. Man natures at about
81 or %. Nine times this would be at
least 200 years But l have other rea-
sons than this analogy ior believing
in the prOlongation of human life. In
the first place, parents of ideal health
have seldom taken special precautions
to beget children. Selective propaga-
tion, which has produced such won-
derful results in the whole range of
animal and vegetable culture, could
he applied to the human race. 1t is
very easy by selective propagation to
lengthen the life period OF lower forms
OF animal and vegetable creatures. In
fact, / have succeeded in trebling the
length of life of several lower forms of
organisms, and the same principles
will apply to higher forms. When it
is remembered that the human race
has not yet produced single child
the result of the fullest scientific
parental preparation, it will not be
wondered at that life is so short. If
for five or six generations parental
preparation were made, the average
period of life of the descendants would
probably be about double that of the
present average period.
again, the early periods of life
have been left almost entirely to
chance. But little thought has been
given to proper dress, to proper exer-
else, to proper nutrition along the su
periOr lines opened by recent discover
les. Furthermore, health is not possi-
BILE in a person who has either under
or over developed any part of his
brain. The systems of education in
vogue have most largely developed
one or two or three groups of brain
structures, almost to the entire exclu-
sion OF the other groups. The time
will some day come when the child
will be given an all-round brain devel-
Opment. We may then expect much
higher health and longer life. The
only one of the environmental condi-
tions which We now regulate is that of
heat. For that purpose We have
stoves in our houses and wear clothes
upon our bodies. There are five or
six other environmental conditions of
equal importance which humanity has
not yet attempted to regulate. When
this is done, longer life will be the re-
suit.
Furthermore, we are entering upon
an era of food-improvement. / have
found that by process of selective
propagation and by method OF train
ing the psychologist functions of the
cells of plants any OF the desirable
chemical components OF cereal, fruit
or vegetable can be regularly aug
mented from one to two per cent. in
amount, each plant generation and
| the undesirable chemical constituents
eliminated at about the same rate.
The time, therefore, is not far distant
when foods will be Obtainable capable
of more completely nourishing the
body and more fully supplying mental
energy. This will prolong life.
al have still another reason. Medi-
cine has not been scientific. The time
is not far distant when more scienti-
fic mode Of curing disease will be in
common use. have lately demon
strated that by psychologist measure
ments the approach of a chronic
disease can be detected a few years be-
fore the patient has the first conscious
symptoms. This inaugurated scien
tific preventive medicine and hygiene.
Indeed, l see no reason why the
health of man cannot be prolonged
even beyond the 2OOth year. A few
instances have been recorded where
people have attained an age beyond
century. If these had intermarried
and applied the suggestions l have
herein made, there Is no doubt but
that their progeny would have lived to
a greater age, and so on, until race
would be produced capable of living
perhaps 800 years. 1t is all a matter
of cell-functioning-that is, of mind
functioning-as to whether a man
| sbo1l l;vo lon0 or MT ~
Now that we have been to the wise
doctors, let us ask some centenarians
what they have to say as to the prob
lem of proionging human life. G. E.
d. Diamond, of San Francisco, lO2
years old, attributes his great span of
life to his regularly Amounting his
body with olive oil for the last thirty
years. during which time he has not