passions never become too violent or destructive. If he ever gives way to anger, he experiences rather an useful glow of warmth, an artificial and gentle fever, without an overflowing of the gall. He is fond also of employment, particularly calm meditation, and agreeable speculations; is an optimist; a friend to natural affections, and domestic felicity; has no thirst after honours or riches, but is satisfied with his lot. "The sentiments of the celebrated Lord Bacon, upon such a subject, must always be treated with great deference and respect, and it is the more necessary to take notice of them, as he alludes to some particulars, not mentioned by Hufeland. Among other observations regarding this point, he remarks, that a head somewhat less than to the proportion of the body, a moderate neck, wide nostrils, a large mouth, an ear gristly, not fleshy, teeth strong and contiguous, firm flesh, a raw boned body, with veins lying higher than the flesh, betoken long life. He adds, that a broad chest, a large hand, a short and round foot, thighs not fleshy, deep calves of the leg, eyes somewhat large, senses not too quick, the pulse in youth slow, but quicker in old age, facility in holding the breath in youth, the body inclined to be bound, but more laxative in the decline of years, are also signs of long life. "But it is not from the speculations of artists, of philosophers, or of physicians, that the form the best calculated for health and longevity can alone be described; for the bodies of those who have lived long, having, in various cases, been examined by skilful anatomists, the causes of their long lives, and of their ultimate dissolution, have been thus ascertained, with considerable, though not decisive, accuracy, "The first anatomical account drawn up of the dissection of any old person, is the one given by the celebrated Doctor Harvey, of Thomas Parr, who died (16th November 1638,) at the extraordinary age of 152 years and 9 months. Notwithstanding his great age, yet his body was found very fleshy, his breast hairy and large, his heart was great, thick, fibrous, and fat, his viscera were sound and strong, especially the stomach, his brain was entire and firm, all his inward parts appeared so healthy, that, if he had not changed his dict and air, he might perhaps have lived a good while longer. He had such strength of body, that he was able, at the 130th year of his age, to do any husbandman's work, even thrashing of corn; but, coming out of a clear thin and free air, into the thick air of London, and after a constant plain and homely country diet, being taken into a splendid family, that of the Earl of Arundel, where he fed high, and drank plentifully of the best wines, the natural functions of the parts of his body became overcharged, his lungs obstructed, and the habit of the whole body quite disordered, upon which there could not but soon ensue a dissolution. "There is another account of the dissection of an old man, also preserved in the Philosophical Transactions, which merits observation.It is of a worker in the mines in Switzerland, who died in 1723, aged 109 years and 3 months. Without entering into the anatomical circumstances therein mentioned, it may be sufficient to remark, that many important parts of the body, which ought to have been soft, were found in a hard state, in many cases bony and cartilaginous, and, in some particular places, quite ossified; plainly proving, that the dissolution of the human frame, is owing to the soft parts becoming hard, and even bony, and, consequently, incapable of performing their proper functions. "A third, and most satisfactory account of the dissection of a person distinguished for old age, is the one given by Doctor James Keill, of John Bayles, a buttonmaker, who died at Northampton, anno 1706, in the 130th year of his age. This account is accompanied with some judicious reflections on the constitution requisites for longevity. "Dr. Keill observes, that the weakness of his stomach, and the hardness of the aorta, or the great artery of the body, were the principal causes of his death. The coats of the stomach were so thin, (hardly thicker than thin writing paper), that they were incapable of performing its usual functions, and cousequently his digestion must have been spoiled. He had not tasted meat for some years; and had latterly lived solely on small beer, bread and butter, and sugar. But had his digestion been better, that would have been of little avail, for it was impossible that his blood could circulate duly, while the great artery, having become cartilaginous, gristly, or hard, had lost its elasticity. Nor is this all. His whole flesh and skin felt hard; and his brain was so firm and solid, that, in cutting, it hardly moistened the sides of the knife. It was highly probable, that the same disposition prevailed throughout the whole body. Indeed, whoever considers how soft a substance an animal body is, at its first beginning, and how, from time to time, it acquires firmness and solidity, will easily be induced to believe, that old age brings on a more than ordinary hardness to all the fibres and vessels. "The fibres and vessels of old people becom "6. SEX. ing thus hard and contracted, the necessary or short. The tall are too apt to get a habit of consequence is, a diminution of their secretions; stooping, which injures the organs of respiratheir skin is always dry, and their perspiration tion, and hastens their dissolution: the short very little. The fullness of the vessels, and are too apt to become fat: whereas the middle the frequent rheums and catarrhs of old people, sized can easily keep themselves erect, and are evince the effects of the closeness of the coats not generally disposed to corpulency. of the vessels; and, indeed, when the fibres of "In regard to leanness on the one hand, or the arteries become indurated, instead of assist-corpulency on the other, Lord Bacon makes the ing, they obstruct the heart in circulating the following distinction. To be lean, with a settled blood. temper, denotes long life; and length of life "From the anatomical examination of Parr may also be expected, from a more fat habit and Bayles, there are two particulars which of body, joined with choler, and a disposition seem to be essentially necessary for the preserva-||stirring and peremptory. tion of long life. A due conformation of all the vital parts is certainly most desirable; but a sound heart, and good lungs, are absolutely essential, without which length of days cannot be expected. The heart, in particular, must be strong and fibrous, for, as it is left alone to force the circulation of a large quantity of sluggish blood,' great strength is absolutely requisite to propel the blood through the in active vessels, to the extremities of the body, and back again, which may be more easily done by men of a low stature, such as old Bayles was. The goodness of the lungs, and a large chest, are also essential requisites, in consequence of which the air has its full effect upon every particle of the blood. Every other means should likewise be thought of, whichment, the case would soon be altered. In might render the blood better calculated to be easily moved through the contracted chanuels of an old body. "It has been much disputed, whether individuals of the male or the female sex live the longest. If women are most exposed to domestic disease, men are most liable to suffer from the dangers of war, the risks of commerce, the fury of the elements, and other external injuries; and also, are more addicted to those irregu larities and excesses which shorten life. On the other, it is to be observed, as a circumstance adverse to the longevity of females, particularly in high life, that it is more fashionable to be delicate than robust: whereas, if good health were considered to be an accomplishment, and as necessary for a woman as any showy acquire discussing this point, we shall first state what philosophers say regarding it, and shall then ascertain how far their doctrines are verified by “Dr. Keill justly remarks, that the dissee-facts. tions of old persons are not yet sufficiently "The bodies of males in general, though not numerous, to ground any positive opinion without some exceptions, are stronger, larger, regarding the effects of age, and the causes of and more active, than those of the females. the death of old men; but that it certainly is a In the human species, in particular, the male judicious system to follow, to endeavour to is commonly not only larger than the female, preserve such a softness in all the fibres, that but his muscular fibres are firmer, and more they may easily yield to the pressure of the compact, and his whole frame indicates a blood, and, by their elasticity, restore them-superior strength, and robustness of texture. selves to their former state, and thus to enable the body to perform all its proper functions. "Having discussed these anatomical inquiries, we shall now proceed to consider two points, connected with this branch of the subject, which still require more particular attention, namely, height and corpulency. "As to the first, Lord Bacon remarks, that tallness of stature, if it be not immoderate, with a convenient form or making, and not too slender, especially if the body be active withal, is a sign of long life. On the contrary, men of low stature, live long, if they be not too active and stirring. "The middle sized, in our opinion, however, are more likely to live long than either the tall But as in women, the bones, the cartilages, the muscles, and every other part of the body, are softer, and less solid than those of men, they must require more time in hardening to that degree which occasions death; neither are they generally so much subjected, as men, to bodily exertions. Women, of course, ought to live longer than men; nay, it is said, that those men who have a weakly appearance, and who, in point of constitution, approach the nearest to women, often live longer than those who are more robust. "This doctrine is fully confirmed by exexperience; for, by consulting the bills of mortality, it appears, that not only after they have passed a certain age, but even from their birth, the probability of long life is greater in the greater softness of the female organs, which women than in men. retards that hardness which is generally supposed to be the principal cause of death from old age. "Some authors have laid it down as a general rule, or fact, that the mortality of males is greater than the mortality of females; and that this is the case, not only when they have grown up, but even among children, insomuch, that the proportion, in favour of females, is as 39 to 30. Indeed it appears, from a most authentic document, namely, the Tables of Assignable Annuities for Lives in Holland, which had been kept there for 125 years, where the ages, and the sex, of the persons dying, are truly entered, that a given number of females have, in all accidents of age, lived above three or four years longer than the same number of males. "The doubts, however, which still remain, fegarding some particulars connected with this branch of the inquiry, point out the advantages that might be derived were proper parish registers kept, and bills of mortality formed, for the whole kingdom, under legislative authority, and not in the careless manner practised at present. If this plan were adopted, and properly enforced, it would give the precise law, according to which human life wastes, in all its different stages; and thus supply the necessary data for computing accurately the "The greater mortality of the male sex, is values of all life annuities and reversions. It so fully proved, on most unquestionable auwould, likewise, shew the different degrees of thority, in the course of Dr. Price's observa-healthfulness of different situations, mark the tions, that he conceives, the reason why more males are born than females, is this, That there is some particular weakness or delicacy in the constitution of males, which makes them more subject to mortality, and which consequently renders it necessary that more of them should be produced, in order to preserve in the world a due proportion between the two sexes. But this can hardly be admitted. The female is certainly a finer machine than the male, and formed with much more art and contrivance, but it does not equal the male in strength; and the greater mortality of the males, even in their youth, may be attributed to their being more exposed than the other sex to dangers and hardships, and to the inclemency of the seasons, from the time that they are able to go about by themselves. "Dr. Price himself seems to concur in this idea, as, in another part of his work, he questions whether this difference, so unfavourable to males, is natural; and, after stating some facts, to corroborate his doubts, he infers from thence, that human life, in males, is more brittle than in females, only in consequence of adventitious causes, or of some particular debility, that takes place in polished and luxurious societies, and especially in great towns. "It may be proper also to mention, that, according to the most authentic information, not only women live longer than men, but that married women live longer than single, in the proportion, according to some registers, of no less than two to one: a difference so great, that it must have been, in some degree, accidental. "In regard to the greater mortality of males after they have reached the age of sixty, that has never been disputed and is accounted for by progress of population from year to year, keep always in view the number of people in the kingdom, and, in many other respects, furnish instruction of the greatest importance to the state. "7. RENOVATION OF THE DISTINCTIONS OF YOUTH. "Among the various circumstances which distinguish youth from old age, three of the most remarkable are, the colour of the hair, the possession of teeth, and the clearness of vision. It is singular, that many instances are to be met with, where, after old people have experienced a failing with respect to these particulars, nature has in a manner made a fresh effort to renew the distinctions of youth. "We shall proceed to give instances, where a renovation has taken place, in regard to each. The Hair. "The colour of the hair varies much in different men, during their youth; but, when they get old, it almost uniformly becomes first grey, aud afterwards white. This does not happen at the same age, in every case: for some are grey as early as twenty or twenty-five, while others have only a few grey hairs at fifty, or even sixty years of age. "It can hardly be doubted, that dryness, or want of moisture, is a principal cause of grey hairs; and, consequently, that the custom of wearing hair-powder must bring them on sooner than otherwise would be the case. There is reason, therefore, to believe, that keeping the roots of the hair well moistened with oily or fat substances, is the best means of keeping back, what so many are inclined to consider as a defect, but which, at the same time, is not inconsistent with the possession of good health, observed, new teeth put forth in our older years, or the attainment of longevity. betoken long life. But the singular circumstance is this, that after an individual has got grey hairs, he suddenly or accidently loses them; and, in their stead, hair of a different colour makes its appearance. Of this, the following examples may be cited. "It is recorded, in the Transactions of the Royal Society, on the evidence of Dr. Slare, that his grandfather, whose hair, about the eightieth year of his age, had become white, grew much darker afterwards. "It is also reported of one Mazarella, who died at Vienna, in the 105th year of his age, that, a few months before his death, he had not only several new teeth, but that his hair, grown grey by age, became black, its original colour. "A similar circumstance is mentioned of Susan Edmonds, of Winterbourn, Hants, who died at the age of 104; and who, five years before her death, had new hair, of a fine brown colour, which began to turn grey a few months before her death. "It is also said, that John Weeks, of New London, in Connecticut, who died at the age of 114 years, lost his grey hairs, which were renewed by hair of a dark colour. 4 "The Teeth. "One of the first instances of this circumstance, at all authentically recorded, is the case of the old Countess of Desmond, which was accounted to be so remarkable, that many considered it to be a fable. Lord Bacon himself seems to consider it as doubtful. He says They tell a tale of the old Countess of Desmond, that she did twice or thrice cast her 'old teeth, and that others came in their room. But the fact is sufficiently authenticated, for one of such great antiquity, and is corroborated by many other instances. "In the Philosophical Transactions, it is affirmed by Dr. Slare, that his grandfather, who was a native of Bedfordshire, had all his teeth strong and firm at the age of 80, and that, within five years afterwards, he had a new He adds, that he remained in good health and strength to the 100th year of his age, and even then died in consequence of fullness of blood. These singular events, the Doctor attributes to the frequent use of sugar, of which his relation was a great eater. set. "It is singular that the teeth should, in this particular instance, be preserved so long, notwithstanding the use of sugar, since the ruin of the teeth is so often attributed to that article. "In the Philosophical Transactions also, two other instances are mentioned, one of Joseph Shute a clergyman, who got a new tooth when he was 81 years of age; and another, Mariah Start, who got two new teeth at 75 years of age. "In the return 1 have received of the old made of one, (John Moore, a native of Ireland, people from Greenwich Hospital, mention is the oldest man in the house,) who said, that he had four new fore-teeth, within five years preceding the return, one of which he had accidentally lost. "There is no particular, in respect of which former generations seem to have enjoyed a greater superiority over the present, than with regard to the duration of their teeth. A place of interment was lately opened at Scone, near Perth, in Scotland, which had remained untonched for above 200 years, and yet, to the astonishment of every one, among a great number of skeletons, which were there dis"I myself have seen one James Donald, an covered, there was hardly any of them whose old man now living, who had got new teeth, teeth were not entire and sound. This must be which I had an opportunity personally of ascribed to greater simplicity of diet, to the examining. They appeared to be of a much teeth being less injured by fumes from a dis-softer consistence tan teeth usually are, and ordered stomach, to the custom of drinking hot liquors being then unusual, and perhaps to the absence of scorbutic complaints. "The means of preserving the teeth will be the subject of future discussion. On the present occasion it is only necessary to observe, that many examples may be quoted, where persons, having lost their teeth a second time, have got a third set of teeth, in some cases partly, in others wholly, supplying the places of those! they have lost. This circumstance merits to be particularly attended to, for, as Bacon has well not fit to do the same service; and, on the whole, they can only be considered as an imperfect substitute. "It is said by anatomists, that the foundation of three sets of teeth may frequently be traced in the jaw of man. But, if that is often the case, it is surprising that instances are not more frequent of such teeth being obtained. "The Sight. "There is also reason to believe, that after the sight has been lost, seemingly by a decay of nature, it has again returned, not perhaps in its former perfection, but so as to be of great use. "One of the most singular instances of the sight being renewed, is in the case of Machell Vivan, a native of Scotland, but who was settled as a clergyman in Northumberland, and lived beyond 110 years of age. A particular account of him is given by a person entitled to credit, who saw him personally, in the year 1657, and who declares, that his hair had become like a child's, rather flaxen; that he had three new teeth, which he, however, got with difficulty; and though, about forty years preceding that period, he could not read the largest print without spectacles, yet, that his sight was renewed, so that no print or writing was so small that he could not read it without them. He had five children after he was eighty years of age. "I am assured, from respectable authority, that the following circumstance may also be depended upon. A lady in the county of Fife, North Britain, who died at the age of 89, after having been under the necessity of using spectacles for several years, recovered her sight, so that for some time before she died, she could read very small print, and sew linen without glasses. “Dr. Rush also mentions an old man, (Adam Rifle of Pensylvania), who, about the 68th year of his age, gradually lost his sight, and continued entirely blind for the space of twelve years, at the end of which period, his sight returned, without making use of any means for the purpose, and without any visible change in the appearance of the eyes. It is singular, that after recovering his sight, he saw as well as ever he did. During both the gradual loss, and recovery of his sight, he was noways affected by sickness, but, on the contrary, enjoyed his usual health. "Several other instances of a similar nature might be quoted, but these are sufficient to establish the general principle, that aged people may have this distinction of youth renewed. "Dr. Rush conjectures, that the antedeluvian age was attained, by the frequent renovation of different parts of the body; and it evidently appears, from the facts above narrated, that such a circumstance was not impossible. At the same time, other reasons may be assigned, (which will afterwards be stated,) for the great age of the patriarchs. "Friar Bacon, in his work entitled, “De retardandis senectutis malis," has given us a number of observations regarding what he calls the accidents of old age, as greyness of hair, wrinkles, &c.; nay, he proceeds so far, as to point out medicines which will preserve youth, and cause grey hairs to fall, and black or youthful ones to come in their room. This work, though curious, and therefore meriting to be preserved, is unfortunately mingled with much of that mystery, so usual in medical works at the period when it was written. "Lord Bacon has paid particular attention to the subject of the teeth, and the renewal of them. The points to be considered regarding them, le observes, are,-1. The preserving of them.2. The keeping of them white.-3. The drawing of them with least pain.-4. The staying and casing of the tooth-ach.-5. The binding in of artificial teeth;-and, 6. That great one, of restoring teeth in age, which, he says, may be thought of, and would be, indeed, magnate nature. But though nature occasionally indulges itself in such renovations, it is hardly possible to believe, that it could be compelled to it, by any means in the power of man to "It is singular, that no particular instance apply; and, indeed, if proper care were paid has occurred, of the sense of hearing being to the preservation of the teeth, commencing renewed, after being lost by a decay of nature,|| at an early age, it would rarely be necessary." P |
