The human body viewed as a machine : suggestions for the promotion of longevity / by Adoniram B. Judson.

  • Judson, Adoniram Brown, 1837-1916.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The human body viewed as a machine : suggestions for the promotion of longevity / by Adoniram B. Judson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Suggcstiotis for the Promotion of Longevity. By Adoniram B. Judson^ M. D., New York. It is said that a sure way to prolong one’s life is to contract an incurable disease. There is a germ of truth in this jest, for it has been observed that a person affected with one of the diseases commonly believed to be incurable, is so concerned for his safety that he follows without hesitation the strict rules of health and thus unexpectedly prolongs his life. It is fair to infer from this that if one in good health will observe voluntarily the restrictions which he involuntarily submits to through fear of being untimely cut off, he will be almost sure to achieve extreme longevity. The average duration of human life is said to be lengthening. Methods of still further prolonging it may perhaps be suggested by viewing the body as- an ingenious piece of mechanism more or less under our control. The body and the machine consume material known respectively as food and fuel. The' fuel used must be that which produces the most; power with the least wear and tear, but there is nch very strict rule in regard to food. The fuel of an; engine is simple in its composition and it varies lit- tle from day to day, from hour to hour. Simplicity and monotony are also seen in the diet of the first months of life, but after infancy the selection of food depends on mistaken ideas of economy, the cus- toms of the country, the whims of an educated pal- Copyright, 1909 by A. R. Elliott Publishing Company. Reprinted from the Nezv York T Jnly 24, 1909. 7 Journal for THE HUMAN BODY VIEWED AS A