We have shown in previous chapters, through facts from pathological anatomy, experimental pathology, and clinical medicine, that old age is a disease characterized by the abundant growth of connective tissue, diminution of the oxidations, and a condition of auto-intoxication.
This disease is caused by the degeneration of the glands with internal secretion, especially the thyroid, ovaries, testicles, liver, and kidneys.
In the same way, and to the same extent as most other diseases, this disease is also amenable to treatment, although a thorough cure, except in cases beginning in very early years, is just as little possible as in most other diseases.
In keeping with the majority of diseases, old age is progressive, and, in fact, is so to a far higher degree than other diseases. It is seldom stationary; it goes on all the time. This we shall easily be brought to understand from the fact that the more time progresses, the more food is taken to sustain the processes of life. By the deficient action of the glands, whose rôle is the proper assimilation of the food and the destruction and elimination of poisonous products of the body, these toxic substances will accumulate, day by day, especially if meat be taken, and thus the continual poisoning will be augmented as time goes on. Thus it must be our most important task to check the progress of a condition in so high a degree injurious to the body.
Let us consider the means by which we can prevent this disease, for “prevention is better than cure,” says the English proverb.
The preventive treatment of old age is in no less degree possible than that of any other disease. To prevent old age rationally, we must avoid all those harmful agencies which may be deleterious to the glands with internal secretions, as it is the degeneration of these glands that brings it about. These agencies, however, being exceedingly numerous, we have mentioned in the previous chapter only those which are in the highest degree detrimental and also the most frequent.
By avoiding these we believe we could successfully combat old age, but only for a certain time; and if not longer, in spite of our careful hygiene, it would not be our fault, but that of our ancestors of many generations ago who did not observe the rules of hygiene even as well as we do, and left us ductless glands of inferior quality.
Parents can only bequeath to their children ductless glands of the same quality as they themselves possess. This undoubted fact is clearly proved by the experimental, pathological, and anatomical results we have mentioned in the chapter on heredity. We will illustrate this by the following examples, which will show how often it is difficult to avoid harmful agencies, and how much depends on having been born with healthy ductless glands.
A person inhales air that contains virulent bacilli and contracts tuberculosis. Another drinks a glass of water or milk, contaminated by water or kept in vessels that have been washed with water containing the bacilli of Eberth, and contracts typhoid fever. Conversely, others who have inhaled the same air and drunk much more of the same water, have remained free from any infection.
The cause of this is that the first mentioned have inherited defective ductless glands from their ancestors, and probably afterward have ill-treated these glands by an immoderate use of all those agencies that are detrimental to them, such as alcohol, sexual excesses, much meat, tobacco, tea and coffee in large quantities, etc., and thus could not produce anti-bodies to counteract the infection.
Of course, the fault does not lie entirely with such people, but that from their birth they are the victims of the immoderation of their ancestors; and by this fact alone are doomed to more easily succumb in the incessant fight against the microbes, and therefore a limited lifetime has been already meted out to them at birth.
We have, in the chapter on heredity, quoted instances of persons coming of short-lived families, who reached a great old age; but this was due solely to exceedingly careful hygiene. It is not always easy to observe these rules scrupulously, and besides often necessitates the possession of means to carry them out and to enable us to be more exempt from the wear and tear of life—cares and sorrow,—which shorten the lives even of persons with healthy glands, though much more of persons who have inherited defective ductless glands.
It has been shown by statistics[166] that the present generation is longer lived, and that the average of life is longer, than was the case one hundred years ago. This is solely due to the fact that now-a-days we know more of hygiene than our forefathers did, although the struggle for existence and competition everywhere has certainly become more keen, with the inevitable worry and depression of mind which it so frequently brings about. This lengthened life is certainly due to more careful hygiene, especially against infectious diseases.
The extended life of an individual depends always, first, on the inherited qualities of the ductless glands, and, secondly, on a sound observance of hygienic measures.
To prevent old age coming on too soon, the first condition necessary is the possession of healthy ductless glands, and this will depend, as just stated, on heredity. We can exert no influence on the generations that have passed away, and must therefore direct all our attention to the generations that are to come. This can only be done by influencing the laws of marriage, and particularly by prohibiting the marriage of persons suffering from diseases that are most detrimental to the glands with internal secretions.
Children of people suffering from syphilis, tuberculosis, chronic alcoholism, etc., are, as we have seen, born with congenital atrophy of the thyroid gland, and are especially apt to acquire all infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, with the greatest facility.
The Bible is literally true when it says that the sins of the fathers are visited even unto the third generation.
Thus we can influence the baby even before it is born; let us then consider what we can do after its birth to prevent premature old age and to secure for it a prolonged existence.
The mother of the future child must carefully avoid anything that may prove fatal to the fœtus or influence its nutrition. It is a well demonstrated fact that different kinds of harmful products, i.e., drugs and probably also stimulants like alcohol, coffee, etc., can be conveyed to the fœtus. A pregnant woman must, therefore, most strictly observe all the rules of hygiene, and especially abstain from the use of drugs which (as for instance, iodine, the bromides, etc.) can also take effect on the fœtus and prove detrimental; emotions must especially be avoided.
When the child is born the best nutriment for the baby is the milk of its mother, and if the mother be not available for this purpose, a wet nurse must be obtained, for human milk is indispensable in the nourishment of the baby if we desire to influence its future immunity against infections; for this important purpose all the internal secretions of the ductless glands go into the child through the milk which contains them. Sajous holds that millions of infants die solely because they are deprived of what nature provided for them, the maternal milk, which not only nourishes them, but protects them against disease.
The infant is practically helpless against infections, for its thyroid contains scarcely any colloid substance, sometimes none; and it also contains no iodine,[167] especially in children who are descended from parents suffering from chronic cachectic diseases, such as tuberculosis, syphilis, malaria, insanity, etc. The other glands are also not yet sufficiently developed, as this takes place generally in the years toward puberty.
All the internal secretions will, therefore, come to the children from the mother or wet nurse.
The above fact also explains why infectious diseases are so very frequent among infants, and also among children before the years of puberty.
The avoidance of infectious diseases is especially important for infants, for in later life many other infections will occur preferably in those children whose ductless glands have been weakened by previous infection. Therefore, even with adults, when we take the history of a case we should inquire whether, in childhood or later, the patient has suffered from infectious diseases. The necessity of such a procedure will be more clear after we have shown their relationship with a weakening of the ductless glands.
The possibility of premature old age is greater in a person who has suffered from one or several infectious diseases in childhood than in another who did not contract any.
Very interesting experiments have been made on puppies fed on their mothers’ milk, and some with raw and boiled cows’ milk, showing the superiority of the bitches’ milk, and also of the unboiled milk.
When human milk is not available for divers reasons, fresh cow’s milk should be employed, using it raw, however, in order not to destroy, by boiling, various substances of the nature of ferments. Before giving it to the baby, the cow’s milk should be diluted with water, and milk-sugar and cream should be added to make it more like human milk (see Chapter on “Milk Diet”).
Of course, when giving raw milk, we must ascertain that it comes from cows examined specially for tuberculosis, and that the milk is of the best quality and very fresh since it has been shown that its power to kill bacteria—and therefore to protect the child—begins to decrease soon after it is drawn.
Not only for the infant in arms, but for the growing baby and child during its first year, milk food, containing largely of milk and cereals, will be the best diet, excluding meat entirely, since in these tender years the ductless glands are not sufficiently developed to destroy poisonous products that arise from the end-products of decomposition of meat. By giving these little creatures meat we may depreciate the efficiency of their ductless glands through unnecessary strain in the destruction of poisons, and thus diminish their chances in later life, of a prolongation of youth and a happy old age. For the same reasons and even more weighty ones, alcohol, coffee, tea, etc., should be avoided.
It is sad to reflect that, in some countries, alcohol is given to children, who are even far more helpless against it than adults.
We have observed in Northern Hungary that the children of the Slovacks, a Slav nation that inhabits certain parts of Hungary—the native land of the writer,—are stunted in their growth. The reason for this is, that in these parts of Hungary, where there are plenty of potatoes, but a scarcity of other food, the peasants give brandy to their youngsters. As we have seen in the second chapter of this book, the growth of the human body depends on the thyroid gland. The fact that these children do not grow shows that alcohol is deleterious to the thyroid. This question will be considered more fully in the chapter on alcohol. The advantages of milk food we shall also treat more fully in a separate chapter.
To deal with old age rationally, we must begin in childhood to fight against it, as all those agencies that tend to produce it prematurely can at this age prove far more deleterious; and as in this world no action is lost—whether for good or evil—we must reap the results of our imprudence in later life.
Unhappily at this tender age we have no reasoning powers, the glands governing them not having been developed, and therefore our parents or guardians must act for us. Their want must also be supplied by the teacher, and we believe it would be productive of great good to teach the elementary rules of hygiene in school at the same time as reading and writing.
The impressions we first get in childhood remain throughout life and are never forgotten; therefore, hygiene should be learned even by small children. The soul of a child is like plaster of Paris, that can, like dough, be moulded into any shape we desire. It is at this early age that we should learn of the necessity of a bath every day, of moderation in food, the avoidance of certain stimulants, such as alcohol, and also of tea and coffee in large quantities.
Alcohol, coffee, and tea are especially injurious to children. The celebrated German clinician, Strümpell, writes as follows in the Pædagogical Pathology: “Among the acute as well as chronic intoxications—which can be the cause not only of a temporary, but also of a prolonged psychopathic condition,—intoxication by alcohol, and by stimulants generally, plays the greatest rôle. Such abuse is especially noxious to children, and causes an enormous number of diseases with psychopathic results.” We ourselves believe that it is a crime to give alcohol to children, and that it should be punishable as such.
Dr. F. Heyn, in a statistical contribution on “Idiocy,” that appeared recently in the Psychiatrisch Neurologische Wochenschrift, showed that in 17.6 per cent. of cases of idiocy in children the above-mentioned fault in hygiene—the use of alcohol, tea, and coffee—was the cause. Thirteen years ago Director Trüper, in a monograph on the psychopathic conditions of childhood, insisted on abstinence not only from alcohol, but also from coffee, by women during pregnancy; but it should be noted also that these agencies continue to be deleterious years after a child is born.
Above all else we must try to make a good man or woman of the child, as this also is an essential safeguard against disease and premature old age. We should endeavor to interest children while they are yet of a school age in the fine arts, such as music, painting, and literature, as they have a very favorable influence on the hygiene of the mind in after years. Religious instruction also gives good results in this respect.
When children approach puberty it is important to avoid an agency that may prove very deleterious to certain of the glands with internal secretions, and this is masturbation.
We will not commit the error made by so many unscientific writers of ascribing much greater importance to this matter than it deserves. It certainly is not true that tabes dorsalis, dementia paralytica, or other serious nervous diseases will result from this source; but it cannot be denied that neurasthenia or hysteria or impotency—sexual neurasthenia—can be promoted by the exaggeration of masturbation, if indulged in many years.
Masturbation is always injurious to the sexual glands, more so to the male than to the female organs, and in addition to the thyroid, and—if in excess—to the adrenals. It also very unfavorably influences the mind and character.
In youth, instruction as to the control of the sexual passions will be of the utmost importance, even considering alone the dangers of infections, especially of gonorrhœa, which not only endangers the future husband, but the future wife also. We need here but mention the well-known fact that the thorough and radical cure of syphilis may even more readily be accomplished than that of chronic gonorrhœa.
We have mentioned above that after gonorrhœa (every chronic gonorrhœa involves the prostate gland) there are severe disturbances of the nervous system, which may also influence the mind, causing hypochondria.
To prevent all these dangers there has been formed in France a society called “Société Française de Prophylaxie Sanitaire et Morale,” which advocates the necessity of instructing boys and girls as to all the dangers that threaten them and how to avoid them.
Happy is the young man who is able to live in perfect chastity without harm to mind or body. We will enter more fully into the consequences of complete sexual abstinence in the chapter on sexual hygiene; but the great majority of young men have the danger from sexual intercourse suspended, as the sword of Damocles, over their heads, and the best way to avoid this is by marriage.
Marriage is, indeed, an invaluable aid in the struggle against old age; but sometimes, although this is an exception, it may turn out to be a double-edged sword.
By marriage a young man acquires regular habits, and by the assistance of a loving wife is better able to control his passions; and last, but not least, the hygiene of the mind will also be improved. The inevitable hardships of life are thus less felt.
These great advantages of marriage can, however, exist only in cases where the two halves make one whole—i.e., where the sun of happiness shines in the marital sky. For this purpose each of these two halves must endeavor best to please the other. The husband must, as is quite in the nature of things, show the utmost forbearance to the wife, and never forget that, on account of her different anatomical and physiological constitution, the mind of the female is far more exposed to frequent irritation as a natural consequence of the frequent alterations of the sexual glands and thyroid in women. It would be unreasonable to blame her for a condition for which not the woman, but her Maker, is responsible.
If married life is one of the best means to defer old age, on the other hand it is positively certain that unhappy marriages are the surest means to hasten its oncoming; but these are the exception, and, as in everything else, the exception only proves the rule.
A single man, or woman, is far more exposed to all the agencies we have referred to above as being deleterious in causing old age and especially depressed conditions of the mind, these being the consequences of total sexual abstinence, faults of hygiene in diet, use of stimulants (alcohol in men, coffee, tea, etc., in women), fewer precautions against disease, and so many other agencies of less importance that there can be no doubt that the bachelor or spinster, as a rule, will become old in earlier years than the married person. Therefore, although himself still a bachelor, the writer feels compelled to sing the praises of married life as a hygienic factor favoring old age.
The possession of children is heavenly bliss to married people, and their pride and joy in them, and in living with youngsters, renders the parents young, as the German proverb says. But as every good thing, if in excess, may turn out to be harmful, omne quod est nimium vertitur in vitima, so too, many pregnancies may prove very harmful in the fight against old age, especially when the mother nurses for a long period each of the children. In women who produce much milk this may prove advantageous to health if not too greatly prolonged; but in women with a meager provision of milk—as in cases of thyroid insufficiency—it may prove disastrous by destroying the means of keeping youthful till an advanced period.
In married women with many pregnancies much will depend on external circumstances of life, and it is certain that nothing will hasten the advance of old age as many pregnancies, the mother suckling all the children herself, in combination with deficient food, the wear and tear of poverty, and with anxiety as to the morrow. This cruel struggle for daily bread is what renders the women of the lower classes old before their youth has passed.
To prevent the deleterious consequences of too many pregnancies on beauty, health, and wealth, in certain countries, as in France, the habit of having one or two children has been encouraged by artificial means. However, as is always the case when our acts disregard Nature, great mischief may thus arise, and even in cases where death has not followed abortions, very often such irreparable damage is caused to the organs on which youth and beauty depend that the oncoming of old age is still further hastened.
The endometritis and peri- and parametritis of many years duration, which are sometimes the result of such procedures, influence the appearance of these persons more unfavorably than many pregnancies.
Parents who have many children may be regarded as the happiest of mankind. Their name is forever perpetuated through their numerous sons, and their flesh and blood survives in their children, to quote the great German philosopher, Schopenhauer.
The years of the climacteric are the most troublesome in married life, not only for the wife, who is directly affected by it, but also in almost equal degree for the husband, who must show the greatest forbearance to his wife at this period. The sun is setting! It is not merely that the decline of the sexual functions produces certain changes in the body, which are especially noticeable in the external appearance; the influence on the mind also produces deleterious effects. Therefore we must direct all our attention to the hygiene of the mind. In married women with loving husbands and children the task will be much facilitated. As we have already mentioned, this stage of human life is most felt by professional beauties, who witness with chagrin the vanishing of their power over the hearts of men. In many spinsters living alone, friendless, this is also a frightful stage of life. Here we have again an opportunity to observe the wonderful soothing effects of religion, which offers us consolation in all our troubles. Religious women will, therefore, much better withstand this most difficult part of their life. Religion and philosophy, too, may be still more helpful to overcome mental depression.
It is interesting to note that many women, even those previously little given to religious practices, turn over a new leaf, and to make up lost ground, become quite pious. Such as in their youth were haughty and proud beauties, and only went to church to exhibit their new hats and toilette, now become meek and modest, and never miss a religious meeting or exercise.
Still, even after a woman has passed the climacteric, everything is not lost if only she be a clever member of her sex. In fact, something remains that may even place her above her much younger sisters, and that is experience and knowledge of the world; and if, by the aid of a skillful toilette, she is able to make the best of what good looks remain from better days, it is probable that she will outdo many of her sisters far below her in age.
Even if at this time of her life, aware of the approach of old age and its cruelties, she may be inclined to say with Longfellow, “but the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,” still there are, in the present state of science, plenty of resources open to her, no less than to a man, to put off old age for a score of years, or to mitigate its effects when it has asserted itself with all its terrors.
We owe our knowledge of the fact that there is a treatment for old age to the famous French scientist, Professor Brown-Séquard, whose father was American and who, for a time, was professor of physiology at Harvard and later a practitioner in New York which he left to become professor of physiology at the University of Paris. Although, before him, Claude Bernard, a man of no less fame, had shown the existence of internal secretions, Brown-Séquard was the first to draw practical conclusions from this fact, and the first who gave a solid basis to the doctrine of internal secretion.
Brown-Séquard was the first to use the extracts of a ductless gland (the testicle) for therapeutic purposes, although thousands of years before him the Chinese had used different organs for purposes of healing, and the savages of Africa ate certain portions of their enemies—the liver and the testicles—to enhance their own courage.
Brown-Séquard obtained surprising results by using the crushed extracts of rabbits, guinea-pigs, and dogs, of which we will say more in the chapter on the prevention and treatment of old age by organic extracts.
Unhappily, as human nature is prone to attack every innovation or to ridicule it, in spite of the great reputation of this savant, his discoveries were skeptically received; and if the extracts of another similar gland—the thyroid—had not yielded such marvelous results, probably the author of the present work would never have had the opportunity to write on the treatment of old age with organic extracts.
It has been shown by many authorities that the thyroid gland is able—as we have already mentioned several times in different parts of this book—to augment the processes of oxidation, and it has also been stated by several authorities, such as George Murray, Vermehren, Hertoghe, and Laache, that persons treated with thyroid extracts appear much younger after the treatment—sometimes, as Hertoghe mentions, ten to twenty years younger.
Now, if a person suffering from complete myxœdema can obtain such a result by the use of thyroid extracts, should not a person suffering only from a partial form of the same disease be able to obtain similar results? It would be quite contrary to our physiological conceptions that a person in a bad condition of health and in physiologically inferior circumstances should benefit more, by exactly the same treatment, than another person who is in a much better condition of health. Therefore, the thyroid treatment of old age is justified. And indeed, we ourselves have seen astonishing results from thyroid treatment, not only in old people, but also in persons under 40.
Thus the thyroid can be of valuable aid for the prevention of old age, and for deferring its onset as long as possible; and for this purpose it will be necessary to begin our treatment in women at about the age of 35, or in certain cases, such as where many pregnancies have occurred, even before this age, and in men at some time after 40 (see also Chapter LIII). Still, to avoid abuses in the use of this efficient drug, it would be necessary to pass a law prohibiting its sale without a medical prescription.
Besides the thyroid gland, the extracts of the sexual glands can also be used; thus, ovarian extracts for women, and testicular extracts for men.
We have also witnessed good results with ovarian and testicular extracts of pigs. Long before ourselves, Brown-Séquard and Professor von Poehl and many others made very interesting observations on testicular extract, on which we shall dwell in the chapter on the treatment with testicular extracts.
Besides the above extracts, those of the kidneys and of the pancreas have also given us, and others, very good results, and they can be used with advantage in the prevention and rational treatment of old age in combination with the other extracts, though preferably in cases where the functions of these organs are deficient. In old age that has already become manifest they should always be used, as they will facilitate the work of these very important organs, and thus prolong their vitality. In this manner an old man will be able to employ these organic extracts of the pig to work for the benefit of his own organs, or, at any rate, to assist in their work.
We have given above a sketch of the dangers that follow us from the cradle until old age, and hasten its arrival, and shown by what means we can avoid or diminish them in the different stages of life; we would now like to offer a few hints that may prove useful for any of these periods in life.
We have shown in the previous chapters that the degeneration of certain glands with internal secretions, especially the thyroid, liver, and kidneys, will produce a condition of auto-intoxication, as poisonous products will not be destroyed in the proper manner, and also not eliminated from the body. Therefore our whole energy must be turned to working in time against this auto-intoxication of the body. This can be most rationally done by a careful hygiene of these different ductless glands—into which we will enter later in separate chapters—and also by special cultivation of the functional efficiency of those organs that eliminate poisonous products from the body, such as the kidneys, intestines, and the skin.
These three organs are in close relation to each other, for when one is threatened the others come to its assistance and aid it in the work of elimination. Thus, when the kidneys are not functionating as they should, the skin comes to the rescue and helps to eliminate a large part of the remaining products by increased perspiration. Nature often does this spontaneously before we come to her aid.
The intestines will do their best, in like manner, to expel a part of these products. Recognizing this co-operative action of almighty Nature, we must also try to be of assistance by careful hygiene, and later on we shall see what will be the best way to effect this; but let us at once urge here that the necessity of having the bowels moved daily should be insisted on from earliest childhood. Especially is this of the greatest importance in the case of young girls, for with them this most necessary rule of hygiene is so often neglected. There is no doubt that, in many persons, fæcal matter can stagnate in the intestines for a few days without much consequence, as the epithelium of the intestines, when in sound condition, may prevent the entrance of poisonous products. But it may be different when this becomes a habit; and when the epithelium is not in perfect order,—as is often the case after prolonged constipation, or with catarrhs of any kind, or with excreta which by their shape may injure the epithelium mechanically,—resorption will follow.
At any rate, it is an every day occurrence for persons who have not had their bowels moved, even for one day, to complain of headache and other symptoms of uneasiness, so that it is impossible to regard these as simple reflex actions, as some are disposed to think, but rather as symptoms of auto-intoxication. Therefore the necessity of clearing the bowels every day should be insisted on, and again especially in the case of the young girls, for it can easily become a bad habit once they have begun to neglect it, and the sluggishness of the bowels, to which females have a peculiar tendency, is thus further encouraged.
Everything should be done to prevent habitual constipation in young girls, for the important reason that stagnation of blood in the adjacent organs of the pelvis is otherwise promoted, and thereby also a tendency to subsequent diseases of the sexual organs, from which many women suffer, at any rate much more frequently than men.
This movement of the bowels every day can best be secured by appropriate food, such as exercises a gently stimulating action on the walls of the bowels. Drugs should be avoided as much as possible, for reasons we will mention in another chapter.
Habitual constipation, if persisting for years, can certainly facilitate the oncoming of old age, while its appearance can be considerably deferred by a good movement every day, owing to the prompt release from the organism of a mass of toxic products.
The great importance of this can be easily realized if we observe the face of any one who has been constipated for several days. After a thorough clearing out, the face becomes fresher and the eyes brighter. The complexion that was previously a dirty gray becomes white and rosy again, particularly in the case of young women. Should not this prove an object lesson as to the vital importance of a thorough evacuation daily as a safeguard against premature old age?
Every physician who practices in a place where the mineral waters have purging effects has occasion to observe that persons coming to these spas, looking worn out and gray in the face, with pendant cheeks, and showing all the signs of auto-intoxication from the retention of poisonous products, always look much fresher, and, indeed, many years younger, after the cure. We could observe the same effects in our own case after each purge, although we do not suffer from habitual constipation.
There is no doubt that freedom from occupation, and particularly life in the open air, in the woods and meadows, have a very great influence in effecting such cures; but we may note the same effects after courses of purging without the aid of such conditions as the above.
The care, not only of the bowels, but of the skin, must be impressed on every one from earliest childhood, especially the necessity of a bath daily. Unfortunately, this is too much neglected on the Continent, and becomes prevalent only as Anglo-Saxon customs are diffused abroad.
By a bath with soap the pores of the skin are better opened, as the dirt that clogs them is removed, and thus the poisonous products can be given off through the skin more easily, and the skin thereby justifies its name as chief assistant to the kidneys. It is, in fact, our second kidney. When the skin comes into greater activity through the action of the sudorific glands, a part of the solids in the urine and many harmful matters, which otherwise would make their way through the kidneys, are eliminated through the skin instead, in which manner the powers of the kidneys are economized.
It is, therefore, only natural that we should do everything to promote these important functions, especially since we may regard the skin not only as a second kidney, but to a certain extent also as a second lung; for it possesses respiratory functions in addition, receiving oxygen and giving off carbonic acid to a certain degree.
To assist these functions in every possible way, we must allow the air to reach the skin freely, for which purpose clothing and underwear should be porous, in order not to impede the process of respiration and elimination. This end will also be attained by exercise in the open air and sunshine; in fact, by remaining out-of-doors as long as possible. All these important features will be dealt with fully in separate chapters.
Before leaving the subject of the prevention and rational treatment of old age, we will give a few hints that may be of use in any stage of life.
First, great moderation in the diet should be observed, as large quantities of food may, in the long run, impair the powers of the digestive organs, and also of several of the ductless glands, which are concerned in the operations of digestion and assimilation—the pancreas and liver. Sajous has shown that the secretion of the adrenals takes actual part in the functions of all these organs. Everything that is eaten should be thoroughly masticated and not “bolted”; digestion, in reality, beginning in the mouth.
Meat should not be consumed in large quantities, as it is injurious to various glands with internal secretions, especially the thyroid and liver, and after having been taken for a long time in large quantities can promote arteriosclerosis (see Chapter XVI).
The best nourishment for increasing the chances of a long life and to defer the effects of old age, is a diet consisting of little meat, much milk, and vegetables. We have for many weeks lived on a diet consisting solely of milk, eggs, bread, butter, and fruits, and, we believe, have never felt so fresh and well disposed to work as during that time and, as friends remarked, never looked so well, either.
A strictly vegetarian diet, without milk and eggs, is distinctly unwise and dangerous to health, if followed for a long time. Our anatomical and physiological construction is not adapted to such nourishment (see the chapter on this subject).
By many authorities wine is called “the milk of old age.” This is not true, although it is a fact that many old people feel better after an occasional glass of claret, when they have been in the habit of taking it for years.
We will deal with alcohol and its deleterious effects in a separate chapter. Far more injurious than red wine used in moderation, are tea and coffee used in large quantities. Unfortunately, many of those who fanatically fight against alcohol, indulge in many cups of black coffee or tea daily, and thus poison their nervous system. Besides containing thein and caffein, they also aid the formation of uric acid, as they contain bodies from which the purin substances are produced (Haig, Hutchison, Walker Hall).
Cocoa and chocolate may be taken in larger quantities than coffee or tea. Cocoa with milk is, at the same time, very nutritious, as it contains fatty substances.
Spices should be avoided as much as possible, especially sharp, irritating condiments, which are so freely taken, particularly in America.
We must not forget that the greater part of all we eat and drink must pass through the kidneys, the fine epithelium of which is thus easily endangered. For the same reason drugs should only be taken under medical advice, and with great reserve, for if taken too freely they may not only injure the kidneys and liver, but also the stomach, which first receives them.
Sound sleep is of the greatest importance. Most of the organs rest during sleep; the great brain in particular being completely at rest; but the disintoxicating glands are most active during sleep. This function should therefore be promoted by all means, and we shall devote a special chapter to sleep, its causation, and the treatment of insomnia. Let us, however, at once mention that sleep can best be encouraged by the use of a large, airy room, and going to bed early, say, at ten to half-past, and rising at five or half-past, when sleep has been undisturbed during the night. Seven hours’ sleep is the best; longer sleep, if over seven and one-half or eight hours, injurious, except for anæmic girls and women. Many people do very well with six hours’ sleep, but less than this will prove injurious in the long run.
It is astonishing to note the large proportion of persons living to a very great age that were early risers; for which reason we may conclude that “early to bed and early to rise” is a valuable factor in the struggle against old age.
We emphatically repeat, over and over again, the importance of fighting against our passions and cultivating the hygiene of the mind; this must be commenced in early childhood and continued through life; and the good qualities of the mind, which we will call the “positive” features of the mind, should be especially cultivated, such as kindness, good-heartedness, friendship, love, magnanimity, hope, modesty, liberality, generosity, frugality, and above all things, contentment with everything. On the other hand we may describe wickedness, unfriendliness, hatred, and jealousy as “negative” features of the mind, which should be smothered at their very inception in the child.
The most successful way to fight the battle of life is to cultivate equanimity and follow the beautiful precepts of Hindu philosophy, which teach us never to hunger after honors and riches, but to be content with what comes in our way. It should be a lesson to us as to what to avoid when we take note of the manner in which so many American business men sacrifice their mind and health in an insatiable thirst for success and riches, and after attaining them, by a real battle with life, find their health so impaired that they reap no enjoyment from it. What is the use of a million when all that life holds dear is lost in the struggle to obtain it, and when, probably, our children will squander it, as do many sons of millionaires who have worked themselves to death. Rather be a living beggar than a dead millionaire!
In the succeeding chapters we will enter fully into detail on all the subjects we have touched upon in these general remarks. We will describe the functions by which the body rids itself of toxic products, and the means by which these functions may be improved. At the same time we shall set forth the rational hygiene of the organs that cause the elimination of poisons either taken through food or introduced from without; and after having demonstrated the most effective mode of freeing the body from such poisons, we shall mention the best kinds of food and deal more specifically with the advantages and disadvantages of the various kinds of food. The effects of certain agencies of great benefit to the health, such as the open air, sunshine, exercise, etc., will be treated in an exhaustive way. Finally, we shall show that we are able to prevent premature old age in an effective manner, and even to treat successfully by means of certain drugs and organic extracts the condition of old age itself.