anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第89部分

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was　eighty…four。　By　her　he　had　seven　children　and　at　his　death　she　was　pregnant　with　the　eighth　child。

Pliny　mentions　cases　of　men　begetting　sons　when　past　the　age　of　eighty　and　Plot　speaks　of　John　Best　of　the　parish　of　Horton；　who　when　one　hundred　and　four　married　a　woman　of　fifty…six　and　begat　a　son。　There　are　also　records　of　a　man　in　Stockholm　of　one　hundred　who　had　several　children　by　a　wife　of　thirty。

On　August　7；　1776；　Mary；　the　wife　of　Joseph　Yates；　at　Lizard　Common　not　far　from　London；　was　buried　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　and　twenty…seven。　She　had　walked　to　London　in　1666；　and　was　hearty　and　strong　at　one　hundred　and　twenty；　and　had　married　a　third　husband　at　ninety…two。

A　case　without　parallel；　of　long　survival　of　a　deaf　mute；　is　found　in　Mrs。　Gray　of　Northfleet；　Kent；　who　died　in　1770；　one　hundred　and　twenty…one　years　old。　She　was　noted　for　her　cheerful　disposition；　and　apparently　enjoyed　life　in　spite　of　her　infirmity；　which　lasted　one　hundred　and　twenty…one　years。

Macklin　the　actor　was　born　in　1697　and　died　in　1797。　Several　years　before　his　death　he　played　〃Shylock；〃　displaying　great　vigor　in　the　first　act；　but　in　the　second　his　memory　failed　him；　and　with　much　grace　and　solemnity　he　advanced　to　the　foot…lights　and　apologized　for　his　inability　to　continue。　It　is　worthy　of　remark　that　several　instances　of　longevity　in　Roman　actresses　have　been　recorded。　One　Luceja；　who　came　on　the　stage　very　young；　performed　a　whole　century；　and　even　made　her　public　appearance　in　her　one　hundred　and　twelfth　year。　Copiola　was　said　to　have　danced　before　Augustus　when　past　ninety。

Influence　of　Stimulants；　etc。There　have　been　men　who　have　attributed　their　long　lives　to　their　excesses　in　stimulants。　Thomas　Wishart　of　Annandale；　Dumfries；　died　in　1760　at　one　hundred　and　twenty…four。　He　had　chewed　tobacco　one　hundred　and　seventeen　years；　contracting　the　habit　when　a　child；　his　father　gave　it　to　him　to　allay　hunger　while　shepherding　in　the　mountains。　John　de　la　Somet　of　Virginia　died　in　1766　aged　one　hundred　and　thirty。　He　was　a　great　smoker；　and　according　to　Eaton　the　habit　agreed　with　his　constitution；　and　was　not　improbably　the　cause　of　his　long　health　and　longevity。　William　Riddell；　who　died　at　one　hundred　and　sixteen　carefully　avoided　water　all　his　life　and　had　a　love　for　brandy。

Possession　of　Faculties。Eglebert　Hoff　was　a　lad　driving　a　team　in　Norway　when　the　news　was　brought　that　Charles　I　was　beheaded。　He　died　in　Fishkill；　N。Y。；　in　1764　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　and　twenty…eight。　He　never　used　spectacles；　read　fluently；　and　his　memory　and　senses　were　retained　until　his　death；　which　was　due　to　an　accident。　Nicolas　Petours；　curate　of　the　parish　of　Baleene　and　afterward　canon　of　the　Cathedral　of　Constance；　died　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　and　thirty…seven；　he　was　always　a　healthy；　vigorous　man；　and　celebrated　mass　five　days　before　his　death。　Mr。　Evans　of　Spital　Street；　Spitalfields；　London；　died　in　1780　aged　one　hundred　and　thirty…nine；　having　full　possession　of　his　mental　faculties。　Of　interest　to　Americans　is　the　case　of　David　Kinnison；　who；　when　one　hundred　and　eleven；　related　to　Lossing　the　historian　the　tale　of　the　Boston　Tea　Party；　of　which　he　had　been　a　member。　He　died　in　good　mental　condition　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　and　fifteen。　Anthony　Senish；　a　farmer　of　the　village　of　Limoges；　died　in　1770　in　his　one　hundred　and　eleventh　year。　He　labored　until　two　weeks　before　his　death；　had　still　his　hair；　and　his　sight　had　not　failed　him。　His　usual　food　was　chestnuts　and　Turkish　corn；　he　had　never　been　bled　or　used　any　medicine。　Not　very　long　ago　there　was　alive　in　Tacony；　near　Philadelphia；　a　shoemaker　named　R。　Glen　in　his　one　hundred　and　fourteenth　year。　He　had　seen　King　William　III；　and　all　his　faculties　were　perfectly　retained；　he　enjoyed　good　health；　walking　weekly　to　Philadelphia　to　church。　His　third　wife　was　but　thirty　years　old。

Longevity　in　Ireland。Lord　Bacon　said　that　at　one　time　there　was　not　a　village　in　all　Ireland　in　which　there　was　not　a　man　living　upward　of　eighty。　In　Dunsford；　a　small　village；　there　were　living　at　one　time　80　persons　above　the　age　of　four　score。　Colonel　Thomas　Winslow　was　supposed　to　have　died　in　Ireland　on　August　26；　1766；　aged　one　hundred　and　forty…six。　There　was　a　man　by　the　name　of　Butler　who　died　at　Kilkenny　in　1769　aged　one　hundred　and　thirty…three。　He　rode　after　the　hounds　while　yet　a　centenarian。　Mrs。　Eckelston；　a　widow　in　Phillipstown；　Kings　County；　Ireland；　died　in　1690　at　one　hundred　and　forty…three。

There　are　a　number　of　instances　in　which　there　is　extraordinary　renovation　of　the　senses　or　even　of　the　body　in　old　age；a　new　period　of　life；　as　it　were；　is　begun。　A　remarkable　instance　is　an　old　magistrate　known　to　Hufeland；　who　lived　at　Rechingen　and　who　died　in　1791　aged　one　hundred　and　twenty。　In　1787；　long　after　he　had　lost　all　his　teeth；　eight　new　ones　appeared；　and　at　the　end　of　six　months　they　again　dropped　out；　but　their　place　was　supplied　by　other　new　ones；　and　Nature；　unwearied；　continued　this　process　until　his　death。　All　these　teeth　he　had　acquired　and　lost　without　pain；　the　whole　number　amounting　to　150。　Alice；　a　slave　born　in　Philadelphia；　and　living　in　1802　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　and　sixteen；　remembered　William　Penn　and　Thomas　Story。　Her　faculties　were　well　preserved；　but　she　partially　lost　her　eyesight　at　ninety…six；　which；　strange　to　say；　returned　in　part　at　one　hundred　and　two。　There　was　a　woman　by　the　name　of　Helen　Gray　who　died　in　her　one　hundred　and　fifth　year；　and　who　but　a　few　years　before　her　death　had　acquired　a　new　set　of　teeth。

In　Wilson's　〃Healthy　Skin〃　are　mentioned　several　instances　of　very　old　persons　in　whom　the　natural　color　of　the　hair　returned　after　they　had　been　gray　for　years。　One　of　them　was　John　Weeks；　whose　hair　became　brown　again　at　one　hundred　and　fourteen。　Sir　John　Sinclair　a　mentions　a　similar　case　in　a　Scotchman　who　lived　to　one　hundred　and　ten。　Susan　Edmonds　when　in　her　ninety…fifth　year　recovered　her　black　hair；　but　previously　to　her　death　at　one　hundred　and　five　again　became　gray。　There　was　a　Dr。　Slave　who　at　the　age　of　eighty　had　a　renewal　of　rich　brown　hair；　which　he　maintained　until　his　death　at　one　hundred。　There　was　a　man　in　Vienna；　aged　one　hundred　and　five；　who　had　black　hair　long　after　his　hair　had　first　become　white　This　man　is　mentioned　as　a　parallel　to　Dr。　Slave。　Similar　examples　are　mentioned　in　Chapter　VI。

It　is　a　remarkable　fact　that　many　persons　who　have　reached　an　old　age　have　lived　on　the　smallest　diet　and　the　most　frugal　fare。　Many　of　the　instances　of　longevity　were　in　people　of　Scotch　origin　who　subsisted　all　their　lives　on　porridges。　Saint　Anthony　is　said　to　have　maintained　life　to　one　hundred　and　five　on　twelve　ounces　of　bread　daily。　In　1792　in　the　Duchy　of　Holstein　there　was　an　industrious　laborer　named　Stender　who　died　at　one　hundred　and　three；　his　food　for　the　most　part　of　his　life　having　been　oatmeal　and　buttermilk。　Throughout　his　life　he　had　been　particularly　free　from　thirst；　drinking　little　water　and　no　spirits。

Heredity。There　are　some　very　interesting　instances　of　successive　longevity。　Lister　speaks　of　a　son　and　a　father；　from　a　village　called　Dent；　who　were　witnesses　before　a　jury　at　York　in　1664。　The　son　was　above　one　hundred　and　the　father　above　one　hundred　and　forty。　John　Moore　died　in　1805　aged　one　hundred　and　seven。　His　father　died　at　one　hundred　and　five　and　his　grandfather　at　one　hundred　and　fifteen；　making　a　total　of　three　hundred　and　twenty…seven　years　for　the　three　generations。　Recently；　Wynter　mentions　four　sisters；of　one　hundred；　one　hundred　and　three；　one　hundred　and　five；　and　one　hundred　and　seven　years　respectively。　On　the　register　of　Bremhill　1696；　is　the　following　remarkable　entry：　〃Buried；　September　29th；　Edith　Goldie；　Grace　Young；　and　Elizabeth　Wiltshire；　their　united　ages　making　three　hundred。〃　As　late　as　1886　in　the　district　of　Campinos　there　was　a　strong　active　man　named　Joseph　Joachim　de　Prado；　of　good　family；　who　was　one　hundred　and　seven　years　old。　His　mother　died　by　accident　at　one　hundred　and　twelve；　and　his　maternal　grandmother　died　at　one　hundred　and　twenty…two。

Longevity　in　Active　Military　Service。One　of　the　most　remarkable　proofs　that　under　fickle　fortune；　constant　danger；　and　the　most　destructive　influences　the　life　of　man　may　be　long　preserved　is　exemplified　in　the　case　of　an　old　soldier　named　Mittelstedt；　who　died　in　Prussia　in　1792；　aged　one　hundred　and　twelve。　He　was　born　at　Fissalm　in　June；　1681。　He　entered　the　army；　served　under　three　Kings；　Frederick　I；　Frederick　William　I；　and　Frederick　II；　and　did　active　service　in　the　Seven　Years'　War；　in　which　his　horse　was　shot　under　him　and　he　was　taken　prisoner　by　the　Russians。　In　his　sixty…eight　years　of　army　service　he　participated　in　17　general　engagements；　braved　numerous　dangers；　and　was　wounded　many　times。　After　his　turbulent　life　he　married；　and　at　last　in　1790；　in　his　one　hundred　and　tenth　year；　he　took　a　third　wife。　Until　shortly　before　his　death　he　walked　every　month　to　the　pension　office；　a　distance　of　two　miles　from　his　house。　

Longevity　in　Physicians。It　may　be　of　interest　to　the　members　of　our　profession　to　learn　of　some　instances　of　longevity　among　confreres。　Dr。　R。　Baynes　of　Rockland；　Maine；　has　been　mentioned　in　the　list　of　〃grand　old　men〃　in　medicine；　following　in　the　footsteps　of　Hippocrates　and　Galen；　he　was　practicing　at　ninety…nine。　He　lives　on　Graham's　diet；　which　is　a　form　of　vegetarianism；　he　does　not　eat　potatoes；　but　does　eat　fruit。　His　drink　is　almost　entirely　water；　milk；　and　chocolate；　and　he　condemns　the　use　of　tea；　coffee；　liquors；　and　tobacco。　He　has　almost　a　perfect　set　of　natural　teeth　and　his　sight　is　excellent。　Like　most　men　who　live　to　a　great　age；　Dr。　Baynes　has　a　〃fad；〃　to　which　he　attributes　a　chief　part　in　prolonging　his　life。　This　is　the　avoidance　of　beds；　and　except　when　away　from　home　he　has　not　slept　on　a　bed　or　even　on　a　mattress　for　over　fifty　years。　He　has　an　iron　reclining　chair；　over　which　he　spreads　a　few　blankets　and　rugs。

The　British　Medical　Journal　speaks　of　Dr。　Boisy　of　Havre；　who　is　one　hundred　and　three。　It　is　said　he　goes　his　rounds　every　day；　his　practice　being　chiefly　among　the　poor。　At　one　time　he　practiced　in　India。　He　has　taken　alcoholic　beverages　and　sm