Читать книгу Old Age Deferred. The causes of old age and its postponement by hygienic and therapeutic measures онлайн

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Even if you were to read no further, the careful perusal of this introduction is well worth while, as it deals directly with the most important personal problems.

The Publishers.

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IN the previous editions of this book I have attributed premature old age to the degeneration of certain glands of our body, such as the thyroid gland and the ovaries. It is my intention now to show, that precocious old looks can often be caused by certain faulty habits; thus for instance by not drinking daily a sufficient amount of liquids. There are many women, who be it by an unjustified fear of obesity, or for other reasons, scarcely drink any liquids except possibly a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast. They neither drink with their meals nor much at other times. In such cases the tissues of the face will lack the necessary amount of fluids to which is due, mainly, the roundness and fullness of the cheeks which we so much admire in the fresh faces of young girls and children. In consequence the face will appear lean and haggard, the skin shrivelled and folded, and lines and wrinkles will appear already in the faces of young women. Besides, as the sufficient amount of fluids will be wanting, the toxic products formed daily in our bodies is not washed out through those natural channels, the kidneys and the intestines, but will take their way through the skin, and eruptions and pimples will develop, much to the damage of the complexion. An obstinate constipation will be another consequence, which, giving to the skin of the face a dirty yellow-brown hue, naturally contributes to produce an old appearance of the face. More and more, am I convinced that a generous purging, as for instance by certain mineral waters, is a most efficacious remedy to prevent old looks and at any rate to improve them. Drugs as a general rule are far less wholesome and effective for this purpose.