THE ELIXIR OF YOUTH

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 59

THE ELIXIR OF YOUTH

A METHOD OF REJUVENATION.

Writing from Paris on Christmas Ere, the correspondent of the Morning Post says : One of the greatest discoveries of modern science has just been made at the Pasteur Institute. When the last details have been settled, science Avill have reached the point of abolishing most of the defects of old age, and, consequently, of prolonging life. Professor Metchnikoff, director of one of the sections of the institute, is now engaged in seeking the accurate doses of a lymph, or, rather, of a series of lymphs, each" of which will rejuvenate a particular organ of the Iranian body. Professor Metchnikoff, like most men of science, is very modest, and has an antipathy to premature publicity. He insisted that I should only say he hoped to attain the result above specified. His own explanations, as he went on to de&cribe his discoveries, show, however, that he has already succeeded in solving the mam problem

To begin with. Professor Metchnikoff's experiments show that the explanations of senile atrophy hitherto obtained is erroneous. The theory was that certain blood cells' devoured others when the vital functions began to weaken. Tlie organic

poisons thrown off energetically in youth were believed to remain in the system in old age, or at least to be less energetically ejected, and to poison the finer cells while without action on those of the conjuctive tissues. The noble cells die, and become the prey of other plebeian cells, thus bringing about the atrophy of the organ where the metamorphosis took place. This explanation is erroneous. Professor Metchnikoff has discovered, and proved conclusively, that the noble cells are not dead in organs atrophied by senility, and, moreover, that they may be multiplied. By assisting then in their struggle with the plebeian cells they will continue to live as actively as in youth. Theoretically, the organism will cease to grow old, and in practice life will be prolonged. • Professor Metchnikoff has found the means of affording this very desirable assistance, and the results already obtained are most extraordinary.

GAINED FROM VIVISECTION.

The discovery was made in the following manner : — Among Professor Metchnikoif'a pupils is M. Bordet, who last year published in the "Annales de l'lnstitut Pasteur" the results of a curious experiment he had made. M. Bordet had injected the blood of a rabbit into a guinea-pig. Some time later he injected the blood of this guinea-pig into a rabbit. The rabbit died. Professor Metcknikoff sought the cause of this phenomenon, and soon became convinced that the blood of the guinea-pig injected into a rabbit or other vertebrate animal elaborates a poison which weakens the red globules of the blood and makes them the prey of the phagocj-te.7. Under the microscope one can see how the white globules devour the red and digest them. If one places the non-transparent ordinary blood "of a rabbit in a glass tube and adds afterwards some of the guinea-pig's blood, before long the rabbit's blood will become transparent, taking the colour of Bordeaux wine. Starting from the fact that the poison elaborated in the guinea-pig is fatal in large doses, Professor Metchnikoff argued that its action in small does must be stimulating. Thereon is based the action of all medicine like strychnine, arsenic, and so forth. Professor Metchnikoff. therefore, began to inject into rabbits feeble solutions of previously injected guinea-pigs' blood. The cubic millimetre of blood in the rabbits thus, treated contained, before the injection, 3,000,000 red globules. In three or four days the number ' increased to 8,000.000. A sovereign remedy against antemia had been discovered, and Professor Merchnikoff's theory concerning the red globules had been confirmed.

HOW LONG SHOULD WE LIVE?

His entire section at the Pasteur Institute is now working to find the specific serum for each particular organ. If the blood serum acts on the reel globules, the liver serum must produce similar effects on

the cells of the liver, that of the brain on the brain, and so on. Experiments have demonstrated this. The specific kidney serum was found some days ago, and Professor Metchnikoff is now determining the exact dose for medical purposes. The discovery has passed the period of mere laboratory experiments. The celebrated Dr Vidal is now at work on human serums. It is remarkable that so many of these discoveries are due to accident. It will be lvmembered that Dr Roux's great discovery regarding diphtheria was "worked on for four years in Fance and Germany, and was finally completed through a- fact that had £0 relation whatever with the malady in question.

I cannot better conclude this announcament than by relating the remarks made by Dr Polaillon, of the Academic de Mcdecine, when he was informed of the discovery. Dr Polaillon was inclined to be sceptical. '" We must see, Aye must sec," he said. " After all, however, it is not impossible," he added. " Organic creatures ought' to live ten times as long as it takes them to reach maturity." Elephants, according to Dr Polaillon, are full grown in 30 years, and live 300 years, and there are many other examples. Man, on the same principle, should live 250 years, but he comes to a premature end owing to the conditions of life. Two and a-half centuries would be rather a long extension of the allotted span, but there is no reason why human life should not be materially prolonged by scientific discoveries. Horses, which by the same rule ought to live 30 years, are, he added, in reply to -an objection, in the same condition as man.