The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-11


I from the pr"t"phytes I" the seed
plants. we tiud certain changes end
conditions characteristic "f old age.
Ia the human subject the principal
changes which we note are atrophic
and drgeuerat,vc in their nature. The
muscles aud glands are the parts more
especially involved in smile atr"phy.
although other soft parts are affected
to some extent. Th.r r.. Is IA dininutiou
III size ct the cellular elements,
though wthnut involving any essen
titl change in their structure. The
muscular tibres become smaIl and are
sald tp take on mnre unif"rm,t OF
size, while the spleen aud lymphatic
glands undergo rcuarkahle dim
imutiun in weight aud size, which in
crca>cs as age advances. There is
also some shrinking i, volume OF the
glaudular structures ut the digestive
tract Wherever fat ha- accumulated
it gradually wastes away. It's said
that atr"phy begins to take place be-
fire degeneration commences. Pig
nrntary aud fatty iniitrations IF the
elements are common. as are also cal
of the lncation Of his fatty 1rgenrra
ton, muscular tibr.s, both voluntary
aud involuntary, might be mentioned.
1t is also found III blood vessels. cs
peclalIy the terminal arteries of the
brain, and to some extent in the
nerve cells and in parenchyma Of
plandular organs. P,gmentary inhl-
tration, it is claimed, is not 80 fire.
qnently met with as is fatty infltra-
ton. In the pineal gland, III liga
ments, carlilages. tendous, and the
walls of arteries calcareous deposits
are common. In the brain and spinal
cord the neuralgia Increases until it
frequently prcdomiuates over the ner
vous element, and there is a tendency
TO the disposition Of amylaceous
bodies in these parts. The fatty cle-
ments Of the brain are diminished,
while the water and phosphorus are
Increased in quantity
The height aud weight of the body
on account of these changes are di-
mnishcd, the body az Il whole bciug
shorter and lighter, while its iudivid-
ual parts are also lc~sened in size,
with the exception Of the heart and
kidneys. The heart as rulc is
ny pertrophivd, while the kidneys are
at least the size they were in middle
life. Changes take place ii the skin:
rendering it dry aud wriukled, the
hair becomes thin and white, the
teeth drop out, the body bends.
These changes induce general de-
crease in vigor; the power of the mus
cles is lessened; the combustion going
on in the body is diminished, as is
shown by decrease in the amount Of
carbonic-acid gas exhaied. The vital
capacity of the lungs is decreased,
although there is quickening of the
respiratory rhythm. The pulse rate
rises, the secTstions are diminished
and the quantity Of urine is less.
Such, briefly stated, are some of the
characteristics Of old age This
period of life is more liable to certain
disease, as those due to arterios-
clerosis, to certain forms Of rheuma-
tism and gout, and SO on.
What produces these changes in the
body which drag US down to the
grave? Is there no way to retard or
prevent them? If we could obviate
them even in measure, how great
would be the benefit and with what
rejoicing would the earth's inhabi-
tants hail the discovery, especially
those among them who have begun to
enter the shadows which gather about
life's evening. In the cycle through
which portion Of the material world
revolves, from the organic TO the
inorganic, from the living to the dead
and back again to the living, it would
appear that, as old age approaches,
the material Of the animal body takes
on more and more the nature of the
inorganic and becomes more and more
akin to the mineral world. When an
individual starts in life he appears to
be endowed With certain power or
ability to maintain his status in the
highly organized animal world, and to
resist largely the tendency Of his tis-
sues to become in their chemical ma
ture more nearly akin to the animal
kingdom.
What this power consists in I do
not know, but it seems to be greatly
impaired by age. Now, if by intro