﻿LENGTHENING 
  OF 
  HUMAN 
  LIFE 
  FISHER 
  547 
  

  

  examination." 
  We 
  all 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  put 
  teeth 
  in 
  order 
  is 
  

   when 
  the 
  cavity 
  or 
  focal 
  infection 
  begins, 
  which 
  is 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  

   teeth 
  ache. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  many 
  far 
  more 
  vital 
  organs 
  than 
  

   the 
  teeth. 
  Long 
  ago 
  Metchnikoff 
  remarked 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  

   diseases, 
  such 
  as 
  diabetes, 
  come 
  upon 
  their 
  victims 
  unf 
  elt. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   modern 
  movement 
  to 
  check 
  cancer 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  early 
  examination 
  

   long 
  before 
  the 
  patient 
  begins 
  to 
  " 
  feel 
  ill." 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  

   tuberculosis, 
  intestinal 
  toxemia, 
  and 
  numerous 
  other 
  ailments. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  findings 
  of 
  the 
  Life 
  Extension 
  Institute 
  is 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  extent 
  of 
  these 
  unfelt 
  ailments 
  or, 
  as 
  Dr. 
  Fisk 
  calls 
  them. 
  

   " 
  silent 
  sickness." 
  The 
  same 
  fallacy 
  affects 
  most 
  sickness 
  statistics. 
  

   Such 
  siclaiess 
  statistics 
  as 
  in 
  Sydenstricker's 
  Survey 
  (16), 
  can 
  take 
  

   no 
  account 
  of 
  unfelt 
  illness. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  they 
  show 
  a 
  dispro- 
  

   portionate 
  amount 
  of 
  certain 
  types 
  of 
  ailments 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  

   deatlis 
  for 
  those 
  ailments. 
  

  

  HABITS 
  SLOW 
  TO 
  CHANGE 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  real 
  obstacle 
  to 
  individual 
  hygiene 
  is 
  the 
  slowness 
  of 
  cus- 
  

   tom 
  and 
  habit 
  to 
  change. 
  Experience 
  with 
  prohibition 
  has 
  shown 
  

   that 
  old 
  habits 
  and 
  customs 
  die 
  hard, 
  even 
  when 
  we 
  set 
  out 
  to 
  kill 
  

   them 
  by 
  law 
  and 
  know 
  they 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  killed. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  lesser 
  evils 
  than 
  alcohol, 
  such 
  as 
  tt)bacco, 
  tea, 
  coffee, 
  

   excessive 
  meat 
  eating, 
  neglect 
  of 
  exercise, 
  or 
  of 
  water 
  drinking, 
  or 
  

   of 
  elimination 
  of 
  body 
  wastes, 
  the 
  scant 
  use 
  of 
  sunlight 
  and 
  fresh 
  air, 
  

   the 
  mental 
  burdens 
  of 
  worry, 
  phobias 
  and 
  manias, 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  

   waking 
  up 
  the 
  public 
  is 
  enormous. 
  Many 
  of 
  us 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  tuber- 
  

   culosis 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  willing, 
  for 
  ourselves, 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  smoking, 
  coffee 
  

   drinking, 
  and 
  other 
  indulgences, 
  and 
  find 
  that 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  up 
  is 
  not 
  

   a 
  sacrifice 
  but 
  an 
  emancipation. 
  But 
  when 
  we 
  propose 
  that 
  the 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  man 
  shall 
  do 
  likewise 
  we 
  usually 
  find 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  stimu- 
  

   lated 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  except, 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  minor 
  degree, 
  through 
  periodical 
  

   medical 
  examinations. 
  Probably 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  this 
  slow 
  way 
  that 
  our 
  

   health 
  ideals 
  will 
  gradually 
  be 
  elevated 
  very 
  far. 
  When 
  that 
  time 
  

   comes, 
  most 
  of 
  us 
  can 
  approximate 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  100 
  years 
  which 
  has 
  

   been 
  discussed. 
  

  

  CAN 
  WE 
  EXCEED 
  100 
  YEARS? 
  

  

  Dare 
  we 
  go 
  any 
  further? 
  Certainly 
  yes, 
  if 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  our 
  way 
  

   clear 
  to 
  pushing 
  forward 
  that 
  100-year 
  limit, 
  or 
  alleged 
  limit. 
  But 
  

   can 
  this 
  be 
  done? 
  Past 
  experience, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  gives 
  us 
  little 
  hope. 
  

   There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fatal 
  fascination 
  about 
  that 
  round 
  figure, 
  the 
  

   century 
  mark. 
  One 
  actuary, 
  formerly 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   Actuarial 
  Society, 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  no 
  prospect 
  whatever 
  that 
  this 
  

   apparently 
  fixed 
  barrier 
  would 
  ever 
  budge. 
  T. 
  E, 
  Young, 
  one 
  time 
  

  

  