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

from the prntnphytes u l"e ''eu
plants, we fud certain changes ana
conditions characteristic ii old age.
In the human subject the principal
changes which we note are atrophic
and degenerat,ve in their nature. Inc
muscles and glands are the parts more
eSuecially involved iii s-nile atr"phy'
although other soft parts are affected
to some extent. There is dlmlnntion
in size of the cellular elements,
though without involving any essen
ti.l change in their structure. Inc
muscular 6bres become small and are
said To take on more unlf"rm't oI
size. while the spleen and lyuphatlc
glands undergo a remarkable DIM
mutton in weight and size, which IN
creases as age advances. There Is
also some shrinking i. volume OF the
glandular structures Of the digestive
tract Wherever fat has accumulated
it gradually wastes away. It's sala
tha, atrnphy begins to take place be-
fure degeneration commences. f'g-
uentary and fatty iniltrations OF the
elements are common, as are also cal
careous iucrustatiuns. AS an Instance
of the location of this fatty degenera-
ton. muscular 6bres, both voluntary
and involuntary, might be mentioned
It is also found il blood vessels, es-
pecialIy 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 so ire
quently met with as is fatty lnhltra-
tiou. In the pineal gland, III l'ga-
ments, cartilages, tendous, and the
walls of arteries calcareous deposits
are common. In the brain and spinal
cord the ueuraglia increases until 1t
frequently predomiuates over the ner-
vous element, aud there is tendency
to the disposition of amylaceous
bodies in these parts. The fatty ele-
ments of the brain are diminished,
while the water and phosphorus are
Increased in quantity.
The height and weight of the body
ON account of these changes are dl-
minished, the body as whole being
shorter aud lighter, while its lndlvId-
ua parts are also lessened III size,
with the exception of the heart and
kidneys. The heart as q ruie is
hypertrophivd, while the kidneys are
at least the size they were in middle
life. Changes take place in the skin,
rendering it dry aud wrinkled, 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 exhaled. The vital
capacity Of the lungs is decreased,
although there is quickening Of the
respiratory rhythm. The pulse rate
rises, the secretions 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 go 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. Ia the cycle through
which portion Of the materia! world
revolves, from the organic to the
inorganic, from the living to the dead
ano back again to the living, it woald
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 tc
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 na-
ture movc nearly akin to the animal
Kingdom.
What this power consists in do
not know, but it seems to be greatly
impaired by age. Now, if by intro
ducinr into the body certain agents