d]

The health examinations of the Life Extension Institute have revealed
unsuspected ailments in persons who considered themselves well, and to
an extent which has astonished even those who have long been familiar
with these subjects. Among large groups of clerks and employes of banks
and commercial houses in New York City with an average age of 27 and all
supposedly picked men and women, only 1 per cent. were found free of
impairment or of habits of living inviting impairment. Of those with
important physical impairments, 89 per cent. were, prior to the
examination, unaware of impairment; 16 per cent. of the total number
examined were affected with organic heart trouble, 42 per cent. with
arterial changes, ranging from slight thickening to advanced
arteriosclerosis, 26 per cent. with high or low blood pressure,
40 per cent. had sugar, casts, or albumin in the urine, 24 per cent. had
a combination of urinary and other serious impairment, 47 per cent. had
decayed teeth or infected gums, 31 per cent. had faulty vision
uncorrected.

Among industrial groups, not exposed to any special occupational hazard
or poisoning, the figures were as follows: With an average age of 33,
none were found to be free of impairment or habits of living inviting
impairment. Of those with important physical impairments, 89 per cent.
were, prior to the examination, unaware of impairment; 3 per cent. of
the total number examined were affected with organic heart trouble;
53 per cent. with arterial changes, ranging from slight thickening to
advanced arteriosclerosis; 23 per cent. with high or low blood
pressure; 45 per cent. had sugar, albumin or casts in their urine;
26 per cent. had a combination of urinary and other serious impairment;
69 per cent. had decayed teeth or infected gums; 41 per cent. had faulty
vision uncorrected.

[Sidenote: Minor Ailments]

There are few persons in America to-day who reach the age of forty sound
and normal in every part of the body, especially if we include among
abnormalities the minor ailments. The extent to which minor ills are
prevalent among those who pass for "well" people is not generally
appreciated. Once we penetrate beneath conventional acquaintance we
almost invariably learn of some functional trouble, such as impairment
of heart, circulation, liver, kidneys, stomach; or gallstones,
constipation, diarrhea; or insomnia, neurasthenia, neuritis, neuralgia,
sick-headache; or tonsillitis, bronchitis, ha