The New "Improved" Life?

The old-time farmer said, "The fast-grown punkin usually turns out to be the 'pore' one," and the saying still goes. Despite all the progress of science, the average man of today most often ends up physically poorer than the same man of a century ago. Life-expectancy in youth and middle age, for example, has naturally risen because of medical progress; but because he lacks proper exercise, nutrients, and mental relaxation, the man over sixty today is actually a weaker man than his ancestor was at the same age. The elderly man of today has less chance of living than did his counterpart of the past! In 1832 a special census was taken of all people in the United States over 100 years old. The possibility of inaccuracies was taken into consideration and hearsay, such as reports about Negro slaves, was ruled out. It was found that at one person in every 4,500 Americans was a hundred years old or more. Today the figure is only one in 34,000.

Few of us can comprehend it, but two things have vitally changed the character of food and mankind during the past century. One is that much of present-day food is grown from a more depleted soil and it is therefore proportionately deficient. Another is that nutritional losses from refining and processing further lessens the value of food. In some cases the loss may be as much as fifty percent.

Very much like today's food, which is grown larger and prettier but with less nutrient, the average man of today is larger, but lacking in stamina. A striking thing about ancient armor and early American clothing is its smallness. Statistics show that man eats more now, but gets less food value than he did in the past. He becomes softer and flabbier as he increases in size.

-- Eric Sloane The Season of America Past,
Promontory Press 1988