CONDUCIVE TO LONGEVITY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 7, 19 December 1925, Page 9

CONDUCIVE TO LONGEVITY

Temperance In All Things

By

“S inapis”

In Empire Review.

j LONGEVITY, like love, is a sub- , ject of never failing interest. Though we are ourselves foredoomed to grow old, the problem of how not to do so, never grows old. The ' French aphorism pour vivre longtemps il faut une bonne digestion et un mauvais coeur represents in reality but a counsel of perfection, for you can no more acquire a good digestion than you can achieve a callous heart; these things are born, not made. There are, however, some things conducive to longlife which are well within the ■ sphere of achievement. Not many of them are so attractive as to induce people, by embracing them, to purchase longevity. In reply to their recommendation the typical material man would retort that he preferred the proverbial “short life and merry one.” That is a phrase which, like “benevolent autocracy," might possibly spell an earthly paradise if only there were some infallible means of ensuring the j merriness of the one, or the bene- ■ volence of the other. For the unpleasant truth is, save in the case of those which are terminated by accident, short lives are seldom merry ones. The person who lives une vie mouvementee, and dies prematurely in consequence, dies of causes which produce much discomfort and suffering for a long time before the end comes. And even i the vie itself, mouvementee though lit be, is by no means “merry.” The foreknowledge of the day of reckoning is ever-present to the victim ; ■ he shows it not infrequently in his eyes, and almost invariably in his temper ; so that if he himself affects to be merry on occasion, the charade does not deceive his intimates. LONGEVITY AND POVERTY. One of the conditions which is said to contribute to long life is that which of itself precludes une vie mouvementee, namely poverty. I Mr. William Kinnear, an American ! statistician, brings evidence designed to show that, difficult as it, is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is even more difficult for him to reach the haven of longevity. A cursory glance at the figures submitted in support of this thesis suggests to my mind that there are so many exceptions and saving clauses, and so many factors which go unconsidered, that the thesis is not sustained. If the rich die before their time, more often than the poor or those of moderate i means, the cause is obviously to be sought in their greater opportunities for, self-indulgent rn matters dietetic. Now, it is not my experience that the upper classes in this country are more self-indulgent in such matters than the lower. It may be different in America, where the rich do not seem uo have the same sense of the responsibilities attaching to wealth as usually prevails in this country, but I find that here the lower middle classes anti the lower classes, even those who frequent hospitals, are more com- > monly overfed than the professional ' and leisured classes. Abuse is seldom the, child of plenty; it is usually begotten of scarcity and insecurity. Temperance is more often found in abundance than in dearth.

i LONGEVITY AND OPEN AIR. Another American statistician is ;on surer ground when, from an i examination of his figures, he draws • the conclusion that those whose *®*S*®*j’*®*®*®*®+®* (Continued from previous column.) After he had gone Jean ran to the safety of Tad’s arms, and though all tliey said was “My God,” their ex- | pressions showed a tumuli oi emotions |—this, alter all these years and just when they had reached the pinnacle of success, too —and this, from the one who have saved Fad s lile. Oh God! lad spent a sleepless night, his loot pai uca nun considerably and conscience also troubled him. \\ as this attitude honourable—a gentleman’s—this ciuny- , mg ol Ins identity to die man to whom he owed his 1‘le? But what could he do -> Lie Had io think ol Jean, and what it would mean to her. Anyway, he iioped that Calder would not remain very long, and pry him with any more questions.’ the chap know, lie] uonueretl, and was he only playing a 1 part? i his, he dismissed as prepos-I terous, ana barring mat, surely me subject was closed, in her sieep Jean was murmuring about gold —nuggets— claims—and lad s last thougnt was: “.I. guess gold isn’t every tiling, alter all.’it was nearly noon when they awakened and luncheon was served in- ; stead ol breakfast. Minnie, with many I gesticulations, heralded the news that i me stranger-man had breakfasted, ; waited lor them for a long lime and i finally departed, leaving them this j smail letter, which read:— “Dear Hostess and Host, -Please pardon by abrupt departure, but yesterday while walking 1 believe 1 spotted a good trail and 1 am hastening to lollow up my clue. 1 wailed as long as i dared lor you this morning. Permit me to assure you oi my sincerest appreciation of your kind hospitality, and believe me to be. Yours very sincerely, Harold Calder, London. England.” Tad relinquished the note to Jean, with a sigh ol momentary relief, it not of peace. ■ But wait!” exclaimed I Jean rather tremulously, “you did not read it all. dearest, there is a postscriptum on the second page and it “P.S.--Bv the way, I believe that I omitted to tell you that Donald Travers whom I am so keenly searching for was once mixed up in a Bank of England embezzlement case, and under this (loud left the Old Coun- ■ rv. after one of the elect, dm renounced her claims to wealth and left the country with him. “He has now been proved innocent l;cv-nd all doubts, as tho guilty j nt it x mm < onfessed upon being ■ aught tml convicted in a similar i-a'-c. ami 1 ;<m ’he emissary oi the Timer- famiG am! the Bank, under >a;h to T.nd md bring back thiDonnld : » have him reinstated. I !. '.d honed to bo able to find him and b: wife on time to leturn to EngInm! fi.-.r heartv welcome srad ’Xma;

I occupations keep them in the open air have a much greater expectation of life than those who work indoors. Employment in the open air connotes vigorous use of muscles, a combination which is in consonance ; with most of the canons of healthy ‘ animal existence. This is, in fact, another plea in favour of the wholesome exhortation, “back to the - land,” which, in spite of much in- ’ sistence, has so far proved singularly ineffectual. Cities are naugh- , tier than villages, but they are much nicer ; and it is very unlikely that considerations of longevity will ' ; ever lure people from the vie mouvementee of the former to the 1 peace and pettiness of the latter. Tennyson prayed for “more life and ! fuller,” but the two would seem, m ! : this respect, at any rate, to be : * mutually exclusive. The “more” of j life is undoubtedly in the country ; ' its fullness is in the city. But here ; ' again we must conclude that the ! j statistician’s thesis is not sustained, for it is well known that in al! I countries, scientists, men of letters, ! and statesmen have furnished their full share of octogenarians and even ! of nonagenarians. The real reason 1 is that, whether it be work in the field, or work in the study, or work in the forum, it is the work which keeps people alive. The man who is always using his sword is he who lives to use it longest; the rust lies in the scabbard. The members of the Academic in Paris are known to be long lived, a fact which, according to one cynic, constitutes their sole claim to be called “the ■ immortals.” Many of the PYtrnc Ministers in this country have attained to great age. Gladstone at 89 ; Wellington at 83 ; Palmerston at 81 ; Russell at 80, and Beaconsfield at 77, by no means complete the list; and many continental statesmen and rulers can be cited to support the view that it is the really busy people who last longest. Bismarck was 82, Crispi 84, Thiers 80, Pius IX 86, Jules Simon 82. Al! these great men were not only workers, but their work was strenuous, anxious and responsible - in the highest possible degree. The same is true of Georges Clemenceau, still ' happily with us, who is nearing his 83rd birthday. LONGEVITY AND STATURE. A good many years ago the British Medical Association undertook an inquiry as to the relationship, if any, between longevity and stature. As miaht have been expected, the results were rather inconclusive, but a general impression emerged to the effect that people of short stature have a better chance of longevity than those of ; middle height. The majority of i nonagenarians are well below the j average height. Tall people, other things being equal, may be regarded as short lived. We have to suppose that in their case, an undue proportion of the original vital energy is expended in the creation of bone I and muscle, thus leaving an insuffij cient reserve for emergencies. Their i l>>t’nrp at the bark of physiological efficiency is a small one ; though adequate in ordinary humdrum times and circumstances, it is apt to give out when serious calls are made. All real giants die early of tuberculosis, and most people over 6ft. 3in. —a height where normality may be said to cease and giantism to begin—are physically delicate and mentally not over robust. This i formula applies to the British Isles ! generally, but it does not apply to all the peoples of northern Europe. There is some climatic factor in play which has not been elucidated. The question of height naturally suggests the matter of weight. Here again it is the man of moderate or sub-medium figure that wins. Heavy people do not “make old bones.” To judge by the figures published on v/eighing machines and elsewhere, it seems to be regarded as normal that a man should put on about a stone in weight in the years between 25 and 50. It is, of course, very abnormal and wholly unphysiological. Life insurance companies, who in such matters are not to be caught napping, pay very particular | attention to this fact, and invariably i look askance at candidates who show any tendency to obesity. LONGEVITY AND HEREDITY. I think it was Mark Twain who warned us to be very careful in the choice of our parents. To the ques--1 tion of longevity this advice is ex- ' ceptionally applicable. Sir Benjamin : Ward Richardson, a physician ptu- ’ minent in the nineties, was so im- ; pressed by the factor of heredity m ; determining the expectation of life I that lie propounded a formula* which some of his successors declare to be substantially correct. You

take the ages at death of your two parents and your foui grandparents, add them together and divide the total by six. The quotient represents the number of years to which you may reasonably expect to attain unless you are killed accidentally. It is true that Richardson qualifies his formula by introducing the element of temperament, but, inasmuch as temperament would seem, in a large measure, to be a question of heredity, its introduction does not seriously impair such value as the formula may be held to possess. Insurance companies, to whose wakefulness I have already referred, attach very considerable importance to the question of heredity; so much so, that one Swiss writer on the eligibility of candidates for life policies goes so far as to say that the proposer’s family history is of more importance than the data obtained from the personal medical examination to which he is usually subjected. There have recently been several letters in “The Times” instancing some very remarkable cases of family longevity.. I know of one family of eleven members eight of whom are over seventy years of age and in perfect health. LONGEVITY AND TEMPERAMENT. That longevity is influenced by temperament, there can, I think, be very little doubt. By the word temperament” our forefathers understood the precise manner in which the “humours” of the blood were mixed or blended. The conception of “humours” of the blood was smiled upon indulgently for many generations, but the discovery of the internal secretions has given it a scientific warranty in a sense not ve’-y far removed from its original. There were four temperaments : the sanguineous ; the melancholic or atrabilious; the choleric or bilious ; and the phlegmatic. A dictionary of medical terms published a hundred years ago tells me that the man of sanguineous temperament has a soft skin, ruddy complexion, blue eyes, red hair and vivid sensations; that the man of melancholic temperament has a dark complexion, black hair, a slow circulation, with a grave and meditative disposition ; that the man of choleric temperament is marked by black curling hair, dark eyes, with a thick rough hairy skin ; and that the phlegmatic person has a lax skin, fair hair and great sluggishness both of animal and physical life. In trying to visualise the members of these types it is almost impossible to exclude the question of stature. The sanguine man, for example, would never be really tall; he would certainly be below the medium height; scarcely otherwise could he be endowed with so much superflous energy. In latter-day parlance he would be described as being provided with a predominant supra-renal cortex. It would be easy to express each of these “temperaments” in terms of the endocrine glands, but that is foreign to my present purpose.

LONGEVITY AND PARENTAL AGE.

The question as to whether married men live longer than bachelors received its final answer from the much-married man who declared that married life seems longer. An inquiry which is at once more interesting and more pertinent is the influence upon longevity of the age of the parents at the time when a person is born. Statistics on this subject were published some years ago by a Hungarian. Mr. Korosi, who based his conclusions on the result of an examination of 24,000 cases. From these it would seem that, in the interests of the offspring, the best time for a man to beget children is between the ages ot 25 and 40. Children born of fathers who are cither under 25 or over 4o seem to have a lesser degree of resistance than those born within these limits. The best time for women to bear children is between 20 and 35. If born between 35 and 40 the expectation of life of the child is 8 per cent, less than in the case ot those born during the optimum period; and 10 per cent, less, between 40 and 45. The second, third, fourth and fifth children of the same parents are more likely to be long lived than the firstchild, and the chances of longevity diminish with each subsequent child. Horse and cattle breeders long ago decided that the best results are to be obtained from sires and dams in their prime. Advancing years in either parent are liable to give unsatisfactory results. * “Longman’s Magazine,” July 1898;