Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-01-08
MEN MAY LIVE 25O YEARS.

MEN MAY LIVE 25O YEARS.
Knowing that the whole world would
be deeply interested in the promising
experiments through which DR.. Ellie
Metchnikoff in Paris is preparing, with
a series of serums, to greatly prolong
human life, correspondent on Sstur-
day sought some detailed explanation
thereof from the doctor himself. The
result was that DR.. MetchDikotf pre-
pared and gave to bis visitor the follow
ing signed statement:
Through some indiscretion the public
has been notified prematurely OF the
experiments l and my staff OF assistants
undertook more than year ago toward
finding and removing the causes OF
senile decay. Public expectation seems
to have become so excited that tho re-
serve now might do more harm than
good.
We first discovered means OF pro-
longing life, al n we have found q road
which we think, leads to q certain
point. but we have not travelled OH 1t
to the end, and there may be many un-
foreseen turns and obstacles,
Human beings die too esrly-unnat-
urally early.
10 the snimal kingdom the usual nat
ural duration Of life is approxim 'tely
!en times the period occupied 10 the
process of maturing. An elephant ma
lures at 80 years of age and lives to 300.
Man. therefore, should live to be 250
years old. Only We INTRODUCES into our
s, stt IN so many Ingredients which our
organs were never meant to cope with,
aud we live under such abnormal con-
ditions that our organism always gives
way, somewhere or other, long before
that.
Our organs are composed OF two sorts
of tissues. One, which we will call the
conjuuctive or plebian tissue. supports
or enwrsps the other, which may be
termed the noble element. By the no
bic elements l mean the coDglOmers-
ion of cells characteristic Of the organ
itself and actually performing Its special
functions.
Now, roughly speaking, what consti-
tutes senile decay is the destruction or
weakening of the noble elements, either
by poisonous ingredients or microbes
introduced variously into the system, or
simply by the encroachment OF the more
vigorous plebian cells.
This encroachmept is technically
known as scelerosis and produces the
atrophy of the organ, and 1t is we'll
known that whenever one organ ceases
to perform it's duty death ensues.
Therefore, the remedy against senile
a.rophy was to be sought in the shape
of some serum which would reach the
organ or organs menaced and feed and
strengthen its noble elements sufficient
y to enable them to fight the poisons
| or microbes, or both, circulating In the
system, aud resist the encroachment ol
the Dlebeian tissue.
We shall probably always be unable
to prolopg life by injecting q single
! serum, just as now we are unable to
operate on the heart, nerves, brain and
bowels with the same drug. 1t is not
one serum we seek, but series OF them
i, We have found that the Organs can
be reached separately by Injecting
serums, and, in general way, we are
convinced that we are on the righ
track as to what must enter
into the composition OF these &C.
runs to strengthen the nobler cells
But probably years will elapse be
fore, step by step and. after countless
experiments, we can at last aDnounc'
we have something as positive and a
thoroughly tested as Pasteur's cure fo
hydrophobia, for instance.
Our hope is to provide certain
threatened cells with artificial aids
which will make them fit to cope will
their en- nemies during longer period.
Very shortly we shall have tn
means and feel sufficiently advanced il
our investigations to conduct some pru
dent experiments upon human beings
Scientifically, the possibility OF pro
longing life is established-praoticall!
God knows when We shall discover It
How the prolongation OF human lit
30 it should last, mortally, say 25
wears, would alter the whole scheme G
the world But to pursue that phas
of the subject one must leave the hel
of science and enter the realms OF phi
osopnical speculation and poetry, and
don't think AL old physician like my
self can he called to do that.