THE CONDITION OF LONGEVITY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1316, 20 May 1897, Page 10

THE CONDITION OF LONGEVITY.

Professor F. W. Warner recently delivered a lecture before the Academy of Science at Eochester, on the subject of biometry or the science of measuring life, and of calculating its probable duration frorn the appearance of the individual. The principal natural indications of long; life are: — 1. To be descended, at least on one side* from longlived parents. 2. To be of calm, contented and cheerful disposition. 3. To have a symmetrical form —that is* a full chest, well-formed joints and limbs, with a neck and head large rather than, small in proportion to the size of the body. 4. To be a long and sound sleeper. The capacity for living inherited from healthful parents he calls potential longevity, and under favourable conditions each individual should live his life out as uniformly as do the lower animals. Says Professor Warner: — "The primary conditions of longevity are that the heart, lungs and digestive organs, as well as the brain, should be large. The trunk will be long and the limbs comparatively short. The hand will have a long, somewhat heavy palm and short fingers. The brain will be deeply seated. This is indicated by the orifice of the ear being low. The blue hazel or brown hazel eye, as showing an intermission of temperament, is a favourable sign. Large, open and free nostrils indicate large lungs; a pinched and half-closed nostril indicates weak lungs. Women are longer lived than men, and married people longer than single. Hot climates are prejudicial to longevity, for there children mature earlier. Cold climates, on the other hand, are favourable to general health."