Delaying Sexual Death

Smoking and Health, the Report of the Advisory Committes to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, issued early in 1964, emphasized the dangers of excessive cigarette smoking, particularly nothing is damaging effect in various heart diseases, which are presently the leading cause of death in the United States. It also showed that excessive ciagrette smoking was the primary cause of the increasingly high incidence of lung and throat cancer.

Rest, of course, is also an essential factor in the preservation of youth, by which we do not mean the few hours of sleep which the organism demands in any case, and which modern man unfortunately does not always accord it in full, but also complete physical and mental relaxation after every considerable effort. Distractions and amusements which some people regard as a luxury are in fact a necessity, particularly to those whose work involves considerable physical or mental exertion. Naturally, proper sleep is one of the most important conditions that must be observed by all who wish to maintain their youthful vigor. The organism utilizes the pause in its activity that is represented by sleep to eliminate the toxins and re-establish the disturbed equilibrium in its strength. As we know, metabolism during sleep proceeds very slowly, so that less energy is used up in that direction, and the organism is therefore able to gather fresh energy. At the same time, too much sleep is unhealthy and conductive to laziness.

Fresh air and sunshine are also necessary to the maintenance of youth. Fresh air, being rich in oxygen, regenerates the blood by increasing the number of red corpuscles. Its tonic effect may be gauged by the contrast presented by people who are obliged to work or live in confined spaces, such as slum-dwellers. It is a well known fact that slum-dwellers, even if they are otherwise "well off," age very early.

It is not without reason that the ancients--Egypt, Greece, Rome venerated the sun as a god. Heliotherapy, or sun cures, are not a new thing. Hippocrates praised the beneficial effects of sunshine and so did Paracelsus, at a later age. Recent experiments have proved that the red corpuscles of animals kept in a dark place for a long time gradually decrease.

It happens very rarely that an individual is forbidden to take sunbaths for medical reasons, but naturally, sun-bathing must not be carried to excess. In particular, neurasthenic subjects and people suffering from heart disease or arterio-sclerosis must exercise moderation, and should preferably consult a doctor before indulging in sun-bathing.

Those who think that the suppleness of the muscles which is characteristic of youth can be maintained without deliberately cultivating it, are badly mistaken. Systematic exercises and sport are the obvious method. It is advisable to choose games that do not affect a certain set of muscles only, but re-invigorate the entire organism. Gymastic exercises, walking, smimming and tennis are all useful in this direction. The benefits of tennis are strikingly illustrated by the case of the King of Sweden, who, at the age of ninety, still had the suppleness of a much younger man. Apart from other favorable effects, sport is a remedy for metabolic irregularities. In certain cases of heart disease, specialists prescribe a "mountaineering cure," which is carried out progessively and is designed to re-educate the muscles of the heart to perform their proper functions. etc..

Contributor's Note

The first suggested remedy for old age will be found in the Old Testament, where in the Book of Kings, we read how King David, when he was "old and full of years" sought to keep warm by taking unto himself a young virgin, Abisag the Sunamite, who slept "on his bosom." This method was also in use among the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who were firmly convinced that contact with young virgins produced a rejuvenating effect on old men. Indeed, this belief has had it advocated in all ages, even modern times. For instance, Dr. Kaldor, in his book on geronto-therapy, i.e., the means of delaying old age, expresses the view that the supposed rejuvenating effect of contact with young girls is not without scientific foundation, as the sight of and contact with young girls is apt to stimulate the activity of the genital glands. Naturally, this effect is only possible if the capacity to react to sexual stimulation is still present. Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tsu, author of the mystic work, Toa-Toe-King-, The Greeks and Romans, which Juno , Jupiter. However, the legendary fountain was never found, and the Romans therefore sought other means of rejuvenation. Hufeland, author of a book on the art of prolonging life by observeing certain health rules, expresses his doubts as to the value of the various rejuvenating elixirs which the alchemists of the age were so zealously trying to discover, and which Paracelsus claimed to possess. Hufeland held that order to extend the frontiers of youth the best thing to do was not to shorten youth by an insensate waste of one's energies.