General Discussion 195 



clinical measurements such as weight, vital capacity, electrocardio- 

 gram, and so on are established. They go then to the Physiology 

 Department where the pulse wave velocity is measured by a stand- 

 ardized method ; and then they go to the ophthalmologist, who is the 

 centre of the whole team, where their visual acuity is studied by 

 several different exact methods. 



I should like, on this occasion, to give mention and honour to the 

 mathematician Felix Bernstein, who inspired this scheme. He started 

 this problem in New York, where he had occasion to get the pre- 

 scriptions for eye-glasses from three generations of doctors, who had 

 continuously studied the eyesight of whole families over several 

 decades. He began to calculate the probability of age on the basis 

 of presby optical changes. We shall see whether, in this way, we can 

 give a description of human ageing in terms of different body func- 

 tions which may or may not run parallel ; and furthermore, whether 

 it is possible to predict ageing on the basis of certain changes which 

 can be observed. 



We should be glad if not only in Basle but elsewhere similar 

 schemes were started. 



Best: The experimental biologists of our group have presented 

 extremely well the data which are available and have suggested plans 

 by which more complete information may be secured. It is obvious 

 that the medical man has many advantages in studies of the kind in 

 which we have been interested. There is no National Health plan for 

 the lower animals. On the other hand, comparative biology can teach 

 us a very great deal and we are tremendously indebted to those who 

 are vigorously pursuing knowledge in this field. 



We have seen how a colony of inbred animals can make possible 

 great contributions to our subject. We admire the scientific in- 

 vestigators whose skill in mathematics, physics and chemistry, as 

 well as in biology, enable them to look well below the surface of our 

 problems and we expect great fundamental contributions from them. 

 We respect also the more conventional biochemists and physiologists 

 who are attempting to illuminate our subject. Most of us admit our 

 prior preoccupation with matters pertaining to the human species, 

 and many investigators, in all parts of the world, feel that we are at 

 the beginning of an era which will be marked by phenomenal dis- 

 coveries in the prevention of abnormally rapid rates of ageing in the 

 human subject. We all believe that even the so-called normal rate is 

 far too fast and we confidently expect that biological science will 

 continue effectively to decrease its speed. Some who work in the 

 field of genetics feel it is a little difficult to bring their findings to 



