The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-09-12

interesting suSktSlloiio W Nht age
old problem.
The most striking situation Of
Mr.. Newman's book is TO call
attention again 10 the fact that
we are living in a period Of old
people. In 1850 over half our popu-
lation were under nineteen; near
ly ninety per cent were under
forty-five; we we're a young, Wig
orous nation.
In 1910, only thirty-four per
cent Of our population are under
nineteen, and twenty-seven per
cent are over forty FIVE. Six and
one half per cent Of our popula-
ton are over sixty-fve today
whereas in 1850 two and one-hsh
per cent were over sixty-five.
If the present trend keeps on,
by 1880 forty per cent of the popu-
lation will be over forty-five, and
fifteen per cent over sixty-fve,
and only twenty-five per cent un-
der nineteen.
Consequences
These figures indicate a num-
Der of consequences. People over
sixty-five are seldom independent,
seldom self-sustaining, and seldom
able TO earn more than a partial
living. In 1850 when there were
only two and one-half per cent Of
them, and nearly ninety per cent
Of the population under forty-five
able to take care Of them, this
constituted no social and no medi-
cal problem.
Today, such movements as the
Townsend party and Old Age
Pension legislation are indicators
that the problem is a real one
and not artificial. The Townsend
Movement did not start as crank
movement. 1t sprang from per-
fectly natural causes and we may
expect more Townsend movements
in the future. G.
The situation has given rise to
a new speciality in medicine-geri-
atrics-the speciality of the dis
eases of the aged. DR.. o. H. Pep
per of the University OF Pennsyl-
vania has for several years been
devoting a clinic TO this speciality
but this pioneering is exceptional
and medical schools have not yet
added courses in this subject 70
their curricula.
However, when he gets down 70
the subject of whether old age can
be prevented or whether we can
prolong life any further, Mr..
Newman, while he sticks to the
known facts, has set himself a
thesis which can hardly be proved.
Everybody on this subject al
ways refers to the immortal piece
Of tissue which is part Of the chick
embryo kept at the Rockefeller
Foundation. These animal cells,
we are told, may live forever, but
this has nothing TO do with so
complicated an organism as man.
Individual Longevity
True, owing to our conquest Of
the contagious diseases of the
early years Of life, more people
are allowed to live TO twenty, and
therefore live out their expec-
fancy. This may bring them To
seventy, eighty, and ninety, and
maybe one hundred, but there is no
proof-recorded case Of any human
beings living much over one hun
dred years in modern times.
There were a number Of these
euriosities in earlier days in the
worlds history, so there is no indi-
cation that the minutes of the
human life span have been pro-
longed by anything which Mr..
Newman mentions such as food
factors, or. hormones, or improve
ment in the treatment Of such
diseases Of later life as heart dis
ease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
1t Is little ironical to observe
a book Of this kind coming on the
book-stalls blithely searching for
a way to prolong life while the
world is busily engaged in killing
millions of young men in their
prime and sowing the seeds of cpl
demic and disease, which will last
throughout our generation.
Mr.. Newman's concluding chap
ter is called, "Old Age, A Con-
venient Fiction" For Mr.. New
mans benefit. l can tell him that
Old age is not convenient, nor a
fiction.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
E. c. L.; an obtaining Vita
min e. tho fabIats -. ..