The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-07
Life Extension Institute.

In a brief prospectus. the Life Exten-
sion Institute, incorporated in New York
yesterday sets forth It's object. its plan
Of operation. tho personnel OF its organ
zatIon and tho prospects OF usefulness
which It's founders see before them. The
object Is ''to lcngthen life by applying
modern science" The means by which
this object is to be promoted are of two
fold character. The institute has "a
hygiene reference board OF nearly hun
dred leading experts on various subjects.
pertaining to health" the purpose of
which Is "to help determine the truth on
hygienic questions referred TO it,; and the
board will aim ultimately to settle scien-
tihcally, so far as possible. tho many dis
puted questions OF personal hygiene" and
will endeavor with "the cooperation of
savants throughout tho world to solve
such fundamental problems as how best
to ventilate our houses and how best to
clothe and feed our bodies" The dis
tinctive feature Of the institute, however,
IS its system Of health-iDspection of in
dividuals, which is set forth as follows;
"The method to be used to proIong life
is very simple and the same aa applied TO
ordinary machnery-inspection and re-
pairs. Any person, whether policy
holder In a company which employs the
institute or as an outside individual. may
have an expert examination made OF his
physical condition. II he is entitled 10 the
examination as policy holder, he has It
without cost to himself.
After the human machine has been
inspected. the individual will be advised
to see his family physician. who will be
furnished a full statement OF tho results
Of the examination-high blood pressure,
or whatever the disability or disabilities
may be-"
Thus the institute is designed to be
self-supportlng business enterprise; but
two thirds of any profit there may be
| above 5 per cent on the capital invested
is to be applied TO extending Its public
usefulness" Finally, the names OF the
men prominent in the organization are
such as TO offer strong warrant for the
expectation that It's work will be car
ried on upon high plane. Among them
we note ex-President Taft, Colonel Cor
gas Dr. William II. Welch. Professor
| Irving Fisher. and others of national
| and international eminence, E. T..
Rittenhouse, whose devotion to work OF
| this nature In connection with the Euuit-
| able Life and the Provident Savings is
well known, viii be president Of the In
stitute.
That such a provision for competent
| medical examina ton of individuals. at
| little or no cost to the person examined.
is capable OF doing a vast amount of
good will hardly be questioned. The
early discovery of slight impairInents.
| he iDygf cd
to consult his doctor before II is too
to avert developments which, in default
| Of such timely knowledge. result in dis
ease, disability, and premature death. But
Il will not do TO ignore tho objections to
a general resort to the practice even
| from the standpoint OF physical health
pure and simple, So long as there is
selection-so long g only those go 10
the medical examiner who personally
feel that il is advisable for them to do
so-the benefit doubtless vastly out
weighs the harm but that there is room
for harm as well good very little
reflection must suffice TO show. There
is. TO begin with. the danger Of a false
dlaenosis-and diagnoses may be mis-
chievously false In degree even when
they are right in kind-which is iar
from being a negligible quantity; but
assuming the diagnosis 10 be perfect, it
Is by no means certain that informa ton
OF IL will be OF physical benefit to the
person examined. The knowledge OF a
slight impairment may, through its
psychic effect. do the individual vastly
more bodily harm than the measures
prescribed by his physician VIII do good.
We believe that IT is distinctly an open
question whether tho Introduction Of