Every so often we can read about a man or a woman who has reached an age far beyond the limits we ordinarily expect. Reports of a man in Chile or a woman in Turkey who has
celebrated the 105th or 110th birthday occur regularly. The natural question is, to what
do these people owe their longevity? Frequently, the answer concerns the fact the
ancient one liked to imbibe regularly of some hard liquor. The photograph will show an
apparently virile man or robust woman. Somehow, people who reach this advanced age
seem to remain eternally sturdy. There are no signs that they have become senile. Smoking a pipe, or sewing on some garment, these rare specimens of hardy humanity are far from the doddering we expect to see.