Contents
An accumulation of damage
All for the next generation
Rites of passage
Damage and repair
Longevity in families
Ageing is not necessary
The ‘disposable soma’
The cost of sex
Aristocratic fruit flies
Insurance premium levels
The impotence of prediction
5SURVIVING IN HARSH CONDITIONS
An extraordinary find in Chad
The Gold Coast of Africa
Resistance to infectious disease
The benefit of grandmothers
6OUR INCREASED LIFE EXPECTANCY
What we used to die of
The new killers
A revolution in medical technology
An extra weekend every week
The gravedigger
From pyramid to skyscraper
Young and old-age dependency ratios
What causes cancer?
Normal ageing does not exist
The dementia epidemic
Frailty
Accelerated ageing
Oxygen radicals
Insulin and growth hormone
Should we eat less?
More years of illness
More years without impairment
The ragged end
11THE QUALITY OF OUR EXISTENCE
What is healthy?
The Leiden 85-plus study
A rating for life
12VITALITY
The new ‘ages of man and woman’
Optimism and zest for life
Grey is not black and white
75 is the new 65
Who is responsible for what?
A birthday rhyme