“PRESS THE BOTTOM” AGE

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1926, Page 8

“PRESS THE BOTTOM” AGE

COMMENT BY DEAN INGL RACE DETERIORATION DOCTORS SHOULD SPEAK By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Nov. 21, 5.5 p.m. London, Nov. 20. Dean Inge described the present as the “press the button” age, before the Royal College of Physicians. He said that every physical change at present in progress in our bodies appeared to be degenerative. The teeth decreased both in size and strength, and the jaws were becoming too small to hold teeth. Eyesight had deteriorated, baldness in middle age was increasing deplorably and something seemed wrong with the appendix. “The day may come,” he said, “when we shall be unable to walk or write, for we use the motor-car for the first and the typewriter for the second. It is a ‘you press the button and we do tho rest’ Sbrt of business, and nature is most likely to say: ‘All right, I’ll leave you just sufficient intelligence to press the button.' ” Few middle aged people could read closely written or printed matter without glasses, continued the Dean, while ancient Greeks were able to live into extreme old age without mechanical assistance. Dean Inge doubted whether human intelligence had advanced in the last thousand years. Russia was literally decapitated, and when they recovered civilisation in that country they would have to go to Germany for arts and sciences. Another world wide happening such as the war would end civilisation, and probably be the beginning of a dark age lashing for a century. Unquestionably many problems were due to the “press the button” business, “for undoubtedly the whale lost its hind legs by living in the water.” The decline in stature of the race was too great to be attributed to malnutrition in wartime. The speaker was of opinion that the pressing problems of to-day were not those in which politicians were interested, but the great medical societies would do much if they spoke out. Whatever men thought about their souls, they had a great regard for their bodies and consequently great re. spect for doctors.