Evening star., 1938-03-21
PROBLEM OF AGE
DExTFOR DOCTORS
Differences in Physical
kCondition Cited by
/ Harvard Professor.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.


comparable to the child at present. |
Dr.. Walter B. Cannon, professor of
physiology at Harvard University. told !
mSmbers Of the Pan-American Med
icsi Association meeting last night at |
the home Of DR.. James Alexander |
" Lyon at Rockville.
With the average age Of the popula- |
ton steadily increasing, DR.. Cannon |
said, it will not be long before 20 |
per cent OF the population will be |
more than so years old. While ply |
sicians in the past have treated old
persons as individuals. very little at
tention has been r>id to the elderly
individual rs an organism, with stead
. fly increasing physiological differences
from the rest of the population.
The changes, DR.. Cannon said, con-
sist largely in narrowing the range
Of automatic adaptability to changes
IN the environment. Starting in the
sos these changes progress slowly
to the end Of life. AS an example. Dr.
Cannon cited the body's disposal of
Tactic acid. Normally there must be
. very hne adjustment between the
acidlty and alkalinity of the blood
stream. A slight variation either way
Vn throw person into coma or con-
vulsions. These almost never happen
because Of the automatic adjustments.
, Cause Of "Tired Feeling"
Every time a muscle is exercised
tactc acid is produced. It passes
intp the blood stream where, to pre-
vent too high acidity. it is combined
with the slight excess of alkali, thus
restoring the balance. In the muscles
It causes that tired feeling" To get
rid Of the excess the body burns most
Of this acid about as soon as it is
formed, the combustion process chang
ing 1t into the highly volatile carbonic
acid which is gotten rid Of in the
breath.
This burning requires oxygen. AS
enc grows older the capacity to breathe
IN the necessary excess of oxygen for
fuel steadily declines. The chest walls
grow more rigid. SO that one cannot
take as big breath. The blood YES
sells become more rigid through coating
with calcium. so that the blood stream
= unable to carry the necessary
amount of oxygen 10 meet the emer-
gency where it is needed. The heart
beats steadily more slowly so that
blood Is not being pumped as fast.
=. Consequently the Tactic acid stays
IN the muscles, so that they remain
"tired." The old man cannot go
through . period of intense exertion
and be fresh again q few minutes
lAter. This is one Of the reasons why
IN athletes '1egs 60 back on him."
DR.. Cannon said. This is just figure
of speech for the inability of the whole
body to respond quickly.
A good deal depends. he said. on
the type, OF sport. Hundred-yard dash
records, he pointed out, almost in
.variably have been held by men under
Il. Records for the mile, where such
intensive effort piling up Tactic acid
quickly are not called for, are usually
held by men between % and IS But
Nurmi was 81 when he made the 10
mile record and other noted runners
Of the same distance have been in
their early sos. Marathon records
have been made by men in their early
A0s. Constantly, as age advances,
The rate Of exertion must be slowed. |
Ball Players Age.
Connie Mack, DR.. Cannon said, CO.
operated with him in his study of ball |
players and they agreed that it is a
Hre exception whose legs don't 20
back on him" at about IS. The speed
OF exertion in baseball seems to be
keyed to the below IS level.
This is becoming a very serious
problem In industry, DR.. Cannon said. |
because Of speed machines geared to
the exertion speed of young men. A
skined worker quickly reaches the
point where the speed Of movement |
(which was natural in his 20s is physi- |
oaogicaAy beyond him and he is faced |
With the problem Of losing his Job or |
having q nervous and physical break
down.
The heat production and loss of the
body. DR.. Canon said, must be bal
anced just as nicely The organism |
10 constantly producing heat, both
consciously through exertion and un-
consciously by loss through the skin,
evaporation OF sweat, ETC. If this were
not true a person might be cooked"
At the end of day, and Dr. Cannon
calculated that members of a college
boat crew would be thoroughly cooked
ever about two-thirds of the course.
h.
stantly declining ability to dilate the
surface vessels the skin becomes less
elastic, the sweat glands do not func-
aon 80 promptly. Hence heat loss is
slower, an old man is prostrated sooner
by exertion, and deaths from heat
strokes In hot weather are much more
frequent.
Production of Heat.
The same is true Of producing heat
necessary to keep up the balance.
The bodily organs are not functioning
10 rapidly. That is why the old per-
son needs warmer clothes and likes
10 sit by the IRE, while the young folks
wonder what is the matter with him.
The atrophy and loss of elasticity in
Rshe blood capillaries in the skin, DR..
Cannon said, results in the peculiar
paleness Of the aged known as par
riarchal pallor." It has been estab-
hshed by experiment. he said, that
there Is . steady loss in the ability to
hear high tones, or short-wave sounds.
At 10 the normal ear can hear sounds
Of $4,000 vibrations second. BY 60,
this ability has been reduced to hear
ing sounds Of only 5000 vibrations
second.
Other changes, he stressed, are in
The eyes which are unable to adapt
easily to distance with the result that
IN old person can be seen pushing
book backward and forward as If he
vas playing trombone. AS hair be-
~