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  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION_, 
  1927 
  

  

  INDEFINITE 
  EXTENSION 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  present 
  tendency 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  assuming 
  that 
  all 
  

   deaths 
  are, 
  always 
  were, 
  and 
  always 
  will 
  be 
  accidental 
  in 
  nature 
  and 
  

   that 
  by 
  safeguarding 
  against 
  bullets, 
  poisons, 
  and 
  germs 
  we 
  can 
  

   theoretically 
  extend 
  life 
  indefinitely. 
  The 
  picture 
  we 
  seem 
  gradually 
  

   to 
  be 
  forming 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  old 
  picture 
  of 
  a 
  life 
  cycle, 
  which 
  includes 
  

   death, 
  but 
  rather 
  of 
  a 
  cycle 
  ending 
  in 
  maturity 
  (or, 
  at 
  most, 
  the 
  

   climacteric 
  in 
  women), 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  processes 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  watch 
  end 
  

   in 
  its 
  completion. 
  After 
  completion 
  the 
  body 
  may 
  last 
  until 
  some 
  

   one 
  of 
  its 
  millions 
  of 
  parts 
  suffers 
  sufficient 
  accidental 
  injury 
  to 
  stop 
  

   the 
  whole 
  machine, 
  just 
  as 
  a 
  watch 
  may 
  stop 
  from 
  a 
  breaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   mainspring 
  or 
  a 
  clogging 
  with 
  dirt. 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  picture, 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  normal 
  natural 
  lifetime 
  for 
  man 
  any 
  more 
  than 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  nor- 
  

   mal 
  lifetime 
  for 
  a 
  watch. 
  It 
  is 
  all 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  having 
  the 
  man 
  or 
  

   watch 
  well 
  built 
  to 
  start 
  with 
  and 
  well 
  taken 
  care 
  of 
  afterwards. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  a 
  superhygiene, 
  a 
  gland 
  transplantation, 
  or 
  other 
  

   device 
  or 
  devices 
  yet 
  unknown 
  will 
  some 
  day 
  open 
  up 
  these 
  new 
  

   vistas 
  so 
  that 
  man 
  may 
  enter 
  and 
  take 
  possession. 
  The 
  only 
  obstacle 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  his 
  highly 
  differentiated 
  structure. 
  There 
  are 
  so 
  manj'^ 
  

   parts 
  to 
  get 
  out 
  of 
  order, 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  reacts 
  to 
  

   cause 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  all 
  — 
  that 
  is 
  death. 
  

  

  EUGENICS 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  lesson 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  that, 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  complicated 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   dependent 
  assemblage 
  of 
  organs, 
  man's 
  only 
  chance 
  of 
  great 
  longevity 
  

   is 
  to 
  keep 
  every 
  single 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  machinery 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  100 
  per 
  cent 
  

   efficiency. 
  This 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  hygiene 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  nth. 
  

   power 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  eugenics 
  or 
  " 
  race 
  hygiene." 
  

  

  Ordinary 
  hygiene 
  unaided 
  by 
  eugenics 
  may 
  break 
  down; 
  that 
  is, 
  

   ordinary 
  hygiene 
  is 
  good 
  for 
  this 
  generation, 
  but 
  threatens 
  to 
  be 
  bad 
  

   for 
  succeeding 
  generations 
  by 
  prolonging 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  the 
  unfit. 
  And 
  

   birth 
  control, 
  which 
  some 
  day 
  ma}^ 
  operate 
  eugenically, 
  is 
  now 
  oper- 
  

   ating 
  dysgenically. 
  The 
  ultimate 
  hope 
  of 
  mankind 
  lies 
  in 
  eugenics. 
  

   Alexander 
  Graham 
  Bell 
  hoped 
  the 
  time 
  would 
  come 
  when 
  young 
  men 
  

   and 
  girls 
  who 
  could 
  boast 
  of 
  inherited 
  longevity 
  would 
  be 
  especially 
  

   sought 
  in 
  marriage. 
  Karl 
  Pearson 
  and 
  Miss 
  Beeton 
  showed 
  that 
  

   inheritance 
  does 
  influence 
  longevity. 
  Alexander 
  Graham 
  Bell 
  found 
  

   that 
  the 
  average 
  age 
  at 
  death 
  of 
  those 
  whose 
  parents 
  both 
  reached 
  

   80 
  was 
  52.7, 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  age 
  of 
  those 
  whose 
  parents 
  died 
  below 
  

   the 
  age 
  of 
  60 
  was 
  32.8. 
  

  

  As 
  Eaymond 
  Pearl 
  (18) 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Mazyck 
  P. 
  Ravenel 
  (23) 
  say, 
  in 
  

   discussing 
  this 
  study 
  of 
  Bell's, 
  the 
  longevity 
  of 
  the 
  parents 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  

   group 
  added 
  20 
  years 
  to 
  their 
  life 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  second 
  group. 
  

  

  