FUTURE CENTENARIANS

Evening Star, Issue 20321, 1 November 1929, Page 7

FUTURE CENTENARIANS

The death rate of England and Wales was 24.4 per thousand fifty yean; ago: last year it was 11.6. A death rate of If) per thousand, permanently maintained, means that the aerago length of life i« 100 years. " Such a promise seems at first thought to bo impossible of achievement in the reasonably near future, but I can visualise a lime, not far distant, when hundreds of thousands, instead of, as at present, only a few hundreds of people, will live to the great age of 100 years, said Sir William Arbuthnot Lane, recently. “ I believe that millions of future centenarians will be as vigorous in every way as people to-day are at sixty. Thesa apparent marvels arc not so fgr distant as some' people think. Humans are like motor cars. Length of life of either depends entirely on the care taken of the ‘works,’ and when people take propercare of themselves we shall soon have them living beyond the hundred-yearr l tnark, aa the simple living Zulus do C ,y» t age is, of course, only durable, if lb-' is still worth while. The three score years and ton of the Bible is a long life for a person who has neglected liis ‘ works.' • Such people are thoroughly worn out, mentally and physically, and have nothing to live for. But intense educational effect is at, least having the desired effect. Tha younger people are beginning to observe the simple rules of healtlC'aiKl this is being reflected in much longer life than was usual in the bad old days.”