Show Extreme Span of Human Life Lift I OO 00 and II I I 0 Years Says Special to Tho WASHINGTON D C May tay rn 21 A chapter chapler concerning reported ia is contained in the Census Cennus Bu Ru Bureaus latest annual mortality statis statistics tics report prepared by Chief Statistician Statistician cian Dr Crisy JJ L Wilbur of tho dl di division vision Islon of vital Ital statistics p The Thc Th report that it l Is un undoubtedly true that bat tho age of or years attained It SUb sug suggests that It Is perhaps doubtful whether h as shown by b incontrovertible mean evidence the age ago of has haH over ever been ell reached or VI exceeded This Thi would It Il Itis IlIs ItIs is stated set act the tho possible longevity of man mati or the th extreme extremo spun span of human life lIfa somewhere and t ld years Dr Wilbur declares that It would be bea a fact of o vast interest to humanity If I It were wert trite truo that a it human being could coul live JIo or ilO HO or 1 0 years cars or 01 even c n or 01 11 0 years cars as aK established by h l exact observation Tho The capability of Ot the bodily mechanism would be tested test tJ and find it might be b Inferred that with bet bettor tor tei hygiene eugenics ou and I proper methods of living the extreme I limit of life might more frequently I Ibe be attained and that after many gen sen generations orations the average age ae of humanity might perhaps approximate to o this limit Public Credulous I The Tue report goes on to show that thal up to very verr recent times tImo the most incredible ible reports the most Inaccurate state statements te ments meats and nn the most lined I tIcul meth ineth methods I ads of study 1111 been believed bell ed Since i Thorns Tb ms investigations in great reat skepticism has arisen In the lie minds of or I many in iii regard to the reputed ages agea I of centenarians and anti the lie report tie de clar some sonic have hao even staled stated there thore wore were no actual cases of or cente j I on record in spite of the oh i iclal returns of population and anti deaths j i to that effect 1 I AH AR an example of the uncertainty I attaching to lo individual statements of or extreme c longevity the case of o tho lie old oldest est st Rt reported decedent is i cited The Thc death was that of Noah oah Raby nab known knowli as oldest man nian in tho the country anti and it occurred in the tho year 1901 Ref Reference to the lie census office transcript which 11 waR wan returned by b the state reg registrar regIstrar of oC New Jersey Terse shows show that the he lh original death related to the thc death of Noah oah Raby stated to lo have occurred d in Middlesex county count on ou Mar lar 1 1104 at the tho age of years and md 11 Jl months The conjugal condition of or orthe the decedent was not nol stated the birthplace of the lie decedent and ami the birthplace of oi his mother molher WIO given ghen I as T P l S the birthplace of oC father I was not stated and the tho cause of oC death was wa given as a an entirely satisfactory statement t In this tills case Dr Dl observes that In the Index catalogue of or tho the library of the th Surgeon Generals office United States Stati Army Arm second series serle Volume 11 under tinder the title of oC Longevity may ma be found the following reference Centenarians inns ians and more Sophia Gab Gub aged Noah Baby Raby 11 years ears II months Med rell Rec Roc X N Y t 1904 1 04 Sl The Issue of oC the tho New York YOlk Medical Record of Maich o 5 1004 1101 1 contained the fol following lowing Item It m Centenarians and moro more Sophia Gab Gal probably tho lie oldest woman In Chicago o died lied there last week She was wail supposed to be years ears old Born florn a n slave she site spent most of her life on a plantation neat near ne r Richmond Va When released from Crom slavery dur during ing ln In the civil war she rhe ti was 87 ST years oldA old oldA oldA A still more remarkable story of lange longe vity Ity Is contained I con In the notice of or the death Ileath of Noah oah Raby In New ew Brims Bruns Brunswick runs wick N J 1 L on March 1 1 It Is asserted with much circumstantially that he was horn born In Gates county N C on April 1 significant date dale 1772 so that had bad he lived one month longer longet lon el he lie would have e been years yeats old olti lie He entered catered the th United States s Navy av about as soon as the tile United States had bad 11 n a I navy 11 and imd after alter serving for a num number bar ber of years was honourably discharged in ISO 1809 He never neer man married led but had smoked mol and chewed tobacco to for fOl years rears and Imd liati at one ono time line been heeti a I heavy drinker I Search was wa a made of the lie th records of tho the Navy a Department and a was wag made mado by b Sergeant F 1 L I 1 of oC the Ule Bureau of lif Medicine and Stir Sur Surgery gery that lint Un a Noah oah Raby nab has been found on the rolls vols of the Constitution in IS I when that ship was under tinder the command of oC Captain Bolton BoHon so It Is possible that the tho report of his dis ills discharge discharge charge from rain the navy as being of oi the year Is pure legend le There may ma mahave have been of course two lo Noah Ra Ba Rabys Rab bys b s The Tue later on ott states that It Il would be e impracticable for tho the Bureau of the Census lo to determine the truth i In retard recard to all unusual ages ares which arc are received upon the thc official oll tran transcripts transcripts ran scripts of deaths nor can the state I 01 or city be bo expected O IH to Investigate tn Investigate vesti I gate all such cases Indeed the evi Oj evidence dence deuce necessary for fol conclusive proof of o extreme longevity In any an given ghen case may b h le extremely l difficult to pro procure cutie cure even when the fact exists This Pius j jis is Js true lot for European countries as itS shown by Thorns and Young and IB is IReen even een more true trite for the United States j for n II great greal part of oi ot which even at the tho present day dar there Is k I no complete reg regIstration I of oC births The statements In InI I legard to the ages of decedents arc nrc made by the informants and can cal not as a rule be questioned question eel or 01 rejected b by registration officials Such statements are undoubtedly in Iii the vast ast majorIty of cases CaMes believed lo to be Ill correct by bythe bythe bythe the persons who bo reported them item and andI when officially become like ike I I the tho othor other statements upon tho thu ce ceI certificates of death prima fade facie evidence I of the facts I I Any An statement upon noon a certificate of death may mry however be le refuted by hy hyI sufficient evidence of Its untruthful ness noes It is well known that many ol of I tho the statements of exact age use even evenIn evenIn In the lie middle period of oC life and in youth are not nol strictly correct In InI old age n e with whit impaired memory with wilh I possible unintentional confusion of or orI I what has hm been lucen heard and what has boon been actually experienced by the lie In Individual individual In regard to the events of early years after the death of contemporaries contemporaries whose testimony ought might con coil contradict claims to excessive C l ss e longevity ty and with the tho well known tendency ot o many aged persons to lo exaggerate in inthe Inthe inthe the utmost faith the tho number of years that they have hae lived It is not at all surprising that thol many unfounded claims to extreme old age a e arise The Tue death deaUl of centenarians by II the census are aie too few to vitiate seriously I the statistics even cn If I In every casa caso I the age was wa Incorrectly stated and they the are arc therefore shown just as they thoy were returned tl In lii the lie annual registration reports of Maine and Massachusetts may mar bo ho found details In regard to the re rc who Tiled In those states Dr Wilbur states tInt that it is perhaps desirable that similar details should be lie hell In lu all registration r re reports ports or at nt least lea t that the statement of ages should enable tho the number of decedents aged years and over oel to tobe be he known If verified statements of f age cat can be lie secured the lie th of oC longevity should be hc given Physicians Ph and an officials should take I pains to ascertain the truth about such cases because they are arc of extreme In III Interest terest to the thc th nubile nail and many foolish h hand and anti sensational statements pass cur current current rent It should be lie possible with the general adoption of modern methods of obtaining vital ital statistics to lo deter determine determine mine mille from the vast ast number numbes of oC deaths registered the maximum span of or hu human human human man life |