WE LIVE LONGERDON’T GROW OLDER

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1937, Page 7

WE LIVE LONGERDON’T GROW OLDER

* Although we are living longer, than ever before, we do not grew older, j says a “News Chronicle” correspondj ent { The increase in the length of our life is due to several factors: -better houses, sanitary arrangements, and bettr food. In addition, the medical and, surgical knowledge of disease and the methods of fighting it and its subsequent effects ! increase from year to year. Add to all those factors the increased care of the expectant mother and her baby after birth, which has reduced the mortality of infants and young children. A Comparison, Applying a comparison of the-fam-ous ancients with groups of our. own famous men, it is found that our monarchs, from the time of William the Conqueror until that of George V.. lived on the average 53 years. Far longer lived than the monarchs were- their Prime Minister’s, the average for the last eight being -77,5..- n y Sixteen English authors, also taken at random, averaged 71.5, the oldest being Mr Frederick Tennyson, who died at 91, eight years older than his more famous brother, the poet, while 21 famous artists averaged 70 years each. The average life of 82 noted mathematicans was 64, that of 75 poets 64, and of the Presidents of the United States 68.4 for the entire list and 61.7 for those who have held office since the Civil War.

Life Span Unchanged. While Queen Victoria was the oldest sovereign. John Adams, who died at 90, was the oldest American President. Even he fell short by nine years of the oldest of the ancients. Hippocrates, “the Father of Medicine,” who, although the list credits him with 05 years, has a record of 99 in some of cur own biographical dictionaries. Despite the Bible statements of age records in Genesis, the claim may well be advanced that man’s life span has : been practically unchanged during the whole of historic time, though the average length of life of the population has been increasing until it has reached its present height, and Will unquestionably go on lengthening as the years go by.