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Show About Living Longer The reader probably thinks he vvculd like to know how long he will live. Per that reason human bemts are always interested in revelations that tend to reveal the causes of death and the habits that tctu to prolong life. P.oi. Kaymond Pearl, noted biologist, bi-ologist, has recently come to some iiuerciung conclusions about longevity. long-evity. Inasmuch as they are based in a scien.iiic study of data the .statements cf this scientist are worth passing on, although every reader will "know" immediately that the student is entirely wrong on any conclusion that does not coincide with his or her prejudices. Prof. Pearl's study reveals that inheritance is a major factor In the achievement cf great longevity. It is not surprising that ripe old ue is based cn a "pretty good egg" it the beginning. He finds that smoking means a cielinite impairment of longevity, proportional to the amount of to-oacco to-oacco used. Contrary to some ideas ho reports tnat "no measurable effect ef-fect of the moderate use of alcoholic alco-holic beveiages can be demonstrated" demonstra-ted" although heavy indulgence ' definitely and considerably im pairs life expectation." Haid physical labor, says the professor, pro-fessor, whether performed in indoor or outdoor occupations, has no effect ef-fect upon life expectation up to the age of forty but considerable effect after that age. In the case of persons dying eventually even-tually of diseases of the heart or the blood vessels, his study convinces convin-ces him that it is possible, even when such persons are in a state cf good health, to distinguish the groups that will be short-lived and those which will be long-lived. Prof. Pear reports that life tables ta-bles shew a great improvement in the average duration of life in the past forty years but this is due to a great improvement in infant welfare wel-fare and not to a lengthening of the biological si Ian of human life. In fact, he asserts that "actually fewer persons alive at the age of 70 today survive to the age of 90 than did forty years ago." |