The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-05-23

environment seems to be OF greater
weight than long-lived parents in
determining the individuals pros
pect for long life. But it takes
good deal of Interpretation Of their
statistics to work out the conclu-
sion.
Most Important Factor
Anybody who has lived as long
as | have must be pretty well con-
WINGED that longevity in parents is
the most important factor in the
longevity of individuals. But, Of
course, there are exceptions.
know of a number Of families in
which l know the parents have
lived to a very ripe age, but sew
eral of the children have died Of
entirely intercurrent disease. For
instance, in one such family one
child died of pneumonia and one
child died of hemorrhage from an
ulcer Of the stomach. Three others
are still alive and look as if they
are going to attain the same age
as their parents.
The pneumonia and the hemor-
rhage were simply accidents on the
road of life which have no hered-
itary implications at all. Certainly
nobody inherits pneumonia, and it
is very doubtful whether ulcer is
hereditary. II these two children
who were dead were the only chill
dren in the family and you based
the conclusions entirely on Stats
tics, you would be forced to con-
clude that parents who lived over
the age of so would have children
who did not attain the age of As.
Statistics on Mortality
The Metropolitan statistics show
that the lowest mortality in a
group of policy holders was re-
corded for those, both of whose
parents we're living when the in
surance was issued. This group
have a mortality which is IL per
cent below the ordinary average.
The policy holders who had the
highest mortality were those, both
of whose parents were dead when
the policy was issued.
This would seem to indicate that
heredity had a good deal to do
with it. But when the groups were
examined with respect to the age
attained by their parents, there
was no relation between that age
and the age Of death of their chill
dren. OF course, there are many
reasons why a person whose par
ents lived until he was old enough
to take out life insurance policy
should attain a high age.
Orphanhood has a detrimental
and lasting effect on the health Of
young people. The children in
broken families are more poorly
housed, fed and clothed and receive
less medical attention than other
children. More of them are COM
PEELED to go to work at young ages
and therefore at unskilled jobs.
Conclusions Hard To Accept
1t is difficult for me to accept the
conclusions Of the Metropolitan.
have seen too much to the con-
trary and when you get away from
long lines of statistics and actually
see families that you know, you
are convinced that heredity is the
most important factor in longevity.
The difference between the stat
istician and family doctor is the
same as that between a man in an
airplane, who scars over a COM
munity and sees thousands of
people from far off, and one who
lives in one place and gets to know
all the neighbors from the time of
birth to the time Of death.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. c. NJ: Does a running ear,
associated with common colds and
other childhood diseases, always
mean that the ear drum has been
perforated? II the ear drum is not
perforated, where does the dis
charge come from?
Answer: 1t always means that
the ear drum is perforated. The
condition merits immediate atten-
ton BY the best practitioner who
can be obtained.