Dr. Alexis Carrel of the Rockefeller Institute segregated some connective tissue cells from the heart of a chicken and submerged them in a fluid representing the blood plasma of the chicken, and kept them eighteen years (at the last report on the experiment that has come to the notice of the writer) and by carefully changing the medium every day, so as to avoid the accumulation of excrementitious material from the cells, they remained for this rather long time in as good condition and showing as active growth as when first placed in the solution.

He said at one time that if he had not divided this mass of cells occasionally, throwing away the part taken off, they would ere that time have covered Manhattan Island.

Flat worms were taken by another observer, little minute worms that batten in the sedgy edges of swamps or slow moving water, little things with a very short and definite life cycle. They were divided into two groups; one allowed to live out its life cycle as per its usual schedule, the other immersed in sterile water, free from the usual silts on which these tiny worms feed, and after they had in this way fasted for a time, shrinking in size, they were again immersed in their usual pabulum, when they quickly regained their former size, and were apparently much more active and youthful than before.

This changing was continued till these flat worms had passed through nineteen life cycles of their species, yet were apparently as young and vigorous as ever.

Alternate fasting and feeding apparently had the effect of indefinitely prolonging their lives and renewing their youth.

In the writer's experience the age can be set back very definitely for a period that would indicate a ten year return toward youth, by a reasonably long fast, either total or one confined to the use of a moderate amount of fruit juices, for perhaps one month, or, if the juices are used rather freely, then a period of six weeks to two months, and he has not hesitated to promise this much to any one who wished to undertake it.

Patients exhibiting all the evidences of age have so renewed their youth that they have surprised their friends, after the lost flesh was regained.

Even as the flat worm experiment, though this would have to be carried farther in order to say just how much the life cycle might be extended in this simple way.

It was once quite common to fast for purification of the body, and there is no evidence that this ever does any harm, cases seeming to prove otherwise being those who did not afterward live as they should.

The burning question with most who do not wish to grow old is whether or not the thing is really controllable, and to this there is only theory to answer, but it is reasonable to suppose that if age were due to the increased accumulation of acids, as all are pretty well agreed, then in just so far as acid formation is controllable, to just the same extent is old age controllable.

Let us be reminded again of the statement of Sir William Arbuthnot Lane, that there is but one disease--deficient drainage, then note again that the flat worms were shifted from sterile water to fresh usual pabulum, thus getting rid of any accumulating waste, and also of the necessity which Dr. Carrel found of changing the menstruum every day, for when he failed to do this the cells showed failure, age.

Then remember what Dr. George W. Crile said, that there is no natural death, all deaths from so-called natural causes being simply the end-point of acid accumulation.

If these statements are not correct, and if the experiments here recited also are of no significance, then we may accept the universal idea that we have no real place on earth after the seventy years are completed, and if we exceed this we are on borrowed time.

If disease is acid accumulation, and if age and death are also acid accumulations, then we can see a very definite relation between a normal alkalinity and youthfulness at any age, and a greatly deferred end-point, or death.

Surely if we do age from acid, and if acid formation is, through our later understanding of foods and nutrition, an entirely controllable affair, then we do have hope that by rigidly adhering to a non-acid-forming habit of eating we can not only pass up disease but we can defer old age to a very long time in the future.

The connection is perfectly plain, and surely we can do ourselves nothing but good in making secure our freedom from all sorts of adventitious acids daily as long as we live.

The more science discovers of health, disease, old age, and death the more closely do we find ourselves approaching the standard of the Garden of Eden in the matter of foods, and if we were to stick closely to this standard we could at least do our cause no harm, either from the standpoint of disease or age.

There is a beautiful old age, one that inspires respect and love, but it is a pity that age generally means decrepitude and discomfort.

The querulous, faul-finding, old man or woman is never welcome, and is only tolerated because of family connections or in respect for a more engaging past that can be recalled.

Perhaps former great achievement attaches importance to an aged person who is even disagreeably old, but as a rule one who reaches the disagreeable condition of many old people is unwelcome at any fireside.

It is fear of decrepitude more than fear of death that makes us shrink from all idea of growing old, and this state is indeed pitiable in any one.

Of one thing we are certain, and that is that the state of acidosis is positively within our own control, and if we can accept the indications as meaning anything then we do get old on account of acid accumulations, and acids we must fight so long as we live.

Whether or not the immediate occasion for failure is an imbalance in the ductless glands, as many aver, even this means nothing more than has been stated, for, as is easily proved, when acidosis is gone the ductless glands are again in balance.

So from whatever angle we view the subject of old age, the one course that seems to be plain is to so arrange the diet that acids cannot form, beyond our power to neutralize these daily, at the same time making sure that drainage is adequate for every need.

This is probably all we can do, aside from thinking properly, keeping young in spirit, taking enough outdoors and what exercise we can enjoy, and getting sufficient sleep every night.