Chapter 9. Myths of Life Extension
Ever since humans became fully aware that they will get old and die,
individuals must have wondered about the possibility of extending
longevity, or achieving immortality on earth. This has resulted in
innumerable myths relating to supposed examples of life-extension,
one of the most notable being the 969 year lifespan of Methuselah, as
recorded in the Bible. Christian fundamentalists are liable to say that
in those days people lived much longer than they do today! These are
many other claims, and far too many to list here. The Guiness Book
of Records has stated that maximum lifespans of people and animals
are some of the hardest records to document. Some of the claims of
human longevity have occurred in the 20th century, and as in some
cases they were initially accepted by scientists, and they provide good
examples of how people are deceived.
Many people living in the Caucasus region of the ex-Soviet Union
claimed their ages were over 120 years, or even 160 years. There was
even a touring troup of centenarian dancers, so it is not surprising
the claims received wide publicity, and also wide acceptance. The
oldest people were usually males which is intrinsically unlikely as
human females live longer that males. Careful scrutiny of these cases,
particularly by the gerontologist Zhores Medvedev, has shown that
none are backed up by reliable records. In some cases, individuals took
on the identity of their father, in others they exaggerated their age to
escape military conscription, or they simply added on years, because
the societies in which they lived respected the wisdom and experience
of very old people. Another well-known set of claims of extreme
old age was at Vilcabamba in South America. Again, some scientists
(in this case anthropologists) believed the reports because the dates
of baptism were recorded in the local church registers. More careful
scrutiny showed that the entries usually referred to the individual’s
father, with exactly the same name, or even that of a grandfather.
The existence of properly authenticated birth certificates has made
it possible to assess in the last century the true picture, at least in
developed countries. There is no doubt that the number of centenarians
is rising all the time, which is due to improved health care in these
countries. However, the number of individuals reaching each additional
year after 100 drops off rapidly, and it is quite rare for any centenarian
to reach the second decade (ie. more than 110), and extremely few
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