LONGEVITY. 545 



does not understand what it means. With this failure of per- Extreme old 

 ception the powers of memory decline, recent events fading a s e - 

 away first, "but those of early life being recollected last. The present no 

 longer possesses an interest, for the brain is less capable of receiving any 

 new impressions. One after another, the organs of sense fail to discharge 

 their functions ; the sight becomes misty, the hearing dull ; there is an 

 indisposition for exertion, a desire for repose. The white-bearded pa- 

 triarch of a hundred years sits quietly by the fireside, resting his hands 

 on the top of his staff. 



Instances of Longevity. 



Yean. 



Attila 124 



Margaret Patten 137 



The Countess of Desmond 145 



Thomas Parr 152 



Thomas Damme 154 



John Kovin > 172 



His wife.... > .-. 164 



Peter Torton 185 



The mortality of towns is greater than that of the country. As we 

 advance from the midst of the temperate region toward the i j0ca i raor . 

 equator or toward the poles, it also increases : thus, in the tali< y- 

 northern portions of Europe, the annual mortality is as 1 to 41 ; that of 

 Central Europe, 1 to 40^ ; that of Southern Europe, 1 to 33^. Con- 

 sidered as respects different periods of life, the rate of mor- Mortality at 

 tality varies very much. Of both sexes, 22 per cent, die different peri- 

 before they are one year old, and 37 per cent, before they 

 are five years old. Male infants are, however, more liable to die imme- 

 diately after birth than female, but at the close of about two years their 

 mortality is the same. Nine twentieths of the whole number born die 

 before they are fifteen years of age, that is, before they have become use- 

 ful to the community. 



The mortality among girls increases between 14 and 18, and among 

 men between 21 and 26. In France and Belgium, from 26 Relative raor . 

 to 30 is the epoch of marriage, and at this period the mortal- tality of the 

 ity is the same in both sexes. It then increases for the s 

 women during the years of childbearing, and afterward again becomes 

 equal for both. At 25 years half the births are dead. The mean life 

 may be estimated at 33 years. The maximum expectancy of life is at 

 5 years, at which age the risk of mortality is suddenly reduced, and be- 

 comes small till puberty, when, especially among girls, it becomes great. 

 From 60 to 65 the chances of life are again at a minimum. 



To the foregoing statements, in which contrasts have been drawn be- 

 tween the male and female, the following may be added : Not only is 

 there a difference in the entire stature, but the different portions of the 



M M 



