Abstract
IN RECENT years geriatrics has become an important part of medicine. Geriatrics may be defined as the study of the diseases of old age. Stieglitz (17) states that it is useful to consider that most of the clinical problems related to geriatrics start at about 40 years of age. The so-called degenerative disorders become more frequent at this period, and their menace is greatest in the years from 40 to 60. If health can be maintained during this critical time, the probability of long disability and uselessness because of chronic illness after the age of 60 will be greatly reduced. Bancroft (1) considers the age of 65 years as marking the beginning of the period of old age. According to Piersol (13) there are no diseases exclusively affecting the aged; there are certain changes which occur with such frequency in the aged that they can be considered as physiologic. These include graying of the hair; atrophy of the lymphoid tissues; the senile type of emphysema, with the resultant decrease in vital capacity; o...
Published Version
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