THE CELLULAR CHANGES OF AGE 85 



the close of the course, of general death, that which 

 we mean by death in common parlance, when the 

 continuation of the life of the individual ceases, and 

 is thereafter bodily impossible. The explanation of 

 death is one of the points at which we shall be aiming 

 in the subsequent lectures of the course. 



Now we know that in connection with age there 

 is always growth. I propose, therefore, in the next 

 lecture to take up the subject of growth. We shall 

 arrive at some paradoxical conclusions, for it can 

 be shown by merely statistical reckonings that our 

 notion that man passes through a period of devel- 

 opment and a period of decline is misleading, in 

 that in reality we begin with a period of extremely 

 rapid decline, and then end life with a decline which 

 is very slow and very slight. The period of most 

 rapid decline is youth ; the period of slowest decline 

 is old age, and that this statement is correct I shall 

 hope to prove to you with the aid of tables and 

 lantern illustrations at the next lecture. 



