The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-17
THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

Statistics FROM current records CT
American life insurance companies
demonstrate that the people of the
United States and Canada never be-
fore experienced so good health as IN
1921-there being an appreciab1e re-
duction from all previous records in
the number of deaths among insured
lives. The insurance death rate was
lowered from e:5s per thousand in
1920 to s.24 per thousand in 1921-a
saving of one and one-third lives per
thousand. Applying these statistics TO
the general population of the two
countries, a probable saving of 15S,-
600. lives in 1921 over 1920 is indi-
Gated.
In contrast to these figures comes
the statement of DIR. Earle C. Brown.
city health officer, that more cases
of tuberculosis were reported in, To-
peka during the year ending Decem-
Der 81, 1921, than in any other year
since the records have been kept"
This increase has taken place de-
spite the fact that a heroic fight
against the disease was carried on in
this city thruout the year. The situa-
ton calls for increased efforts to
stamp it out.
DR.. Stephen Smith, founder Of the
American Public Health association,
will be SO years old next February,
and is, therefore. one who should
speak with authority on matters of
health and longevity. His recipe for
long life consists of two parts, the
first, Work, and keep out of the easy
CHAIR and the second pertains to
diet, which, as based on his own
regimen, is Don't eat too much
meat. Drink lots of milk and get
plenty of Sleep" He told his hearers
at the Public Health exposition the
drank spirits or stimulants of any
kind. even tea and coffee and he also
places ban on sweets and candy.
Doctor Smith also holds that 100
years not the threscore and ten or
fourscore of Scripture. should be the
ordinary limit of life. and says biology
teaches that man should live until he
rounds out a century. if he lives as he
ought to live. Yet. as a matter of
fact, in most Occidental countries,
however it may be in Oriental chimes,
the. man or the woman who attains
the century mark or passes beyond it
achieves notoriety by that simple
fact. Thomas Parr, "Old Parr," as
he was usually called, and described
by one of his contemporaries as an
! "old, old, very old man." achieved
fame by living to the age of 1872.
So interesting is extreme old age
that probably there is no other kinds
Of news read with more avidity by
most people than that pertaining to
these veterans of humanity and the
manner by which they were able to
live so long. Every hint and sugges-
ton as to diet and exercise given by
these isolated conquerors of time IS
eagerly read and sometimes, perhaps,
acted upon, for a time at least. The
only difficulty is that the recipes diff
fer so widely, in most cases, that a
comparison of them is fatal to the be-
| lief in the efficacy of any one of
them; and so most people fan back
upon their own regimen, which is, at
lleast, pleasanter thing to do than to
follow the rather difficult rules such
as even Doctor Smith lays lown.
But if recent news from Kieff may
be believed, there seems to be no rea-
son why the centenarians should con-
tinue to be of so great general inter
est, or that their numbers should be
| so limited as they are at present
Doctor Sadowein, professor of physi-
cal chemistry in the University ii
Kieff, claims to have found a village
in the mountains near Temir Khan
Shura, the new capital of the Repub-
lie of Daghestan, IN which centena-
rians are so common that they do MOI
attract attention. Out of total pop.
ulation Of 120 in the village, the pro.
fessor asserts that eighteen are more
than 100 years old. His inquiry intt
the dietetic habits of this group OF
centenarians disclosed the fact that
they live exclusively upon cows milk
soured. cheese made from Sleeps
milk, and white bread.