BODY BUILD AND LONGEVITY

The very expression “well built” has become a part of our language. It implies that persons of a particular build or structure are better coordinated or somehow can function better than other people and may, therefore, be expected to have a greater life span. Variations in the structure of individuals are marked and serve to distinguish fairly definite types. Insurance experience has crystallized into a number of fairly definite conclusions with regard to the relative longevity of certain of these types. Extremes of stature, for example, are decided handicaps. Extreme overweight and underweight carry with them increased mortality and correspondingly shorter life. Very heavy people are more likely to succumb prematurely to such conditions as diabetes, organic heart disease, renal impairment, hardening of the arteries, and very light persons, particularly at the younger ages, are more likely to develop tuberculosis. Insurance experience has confirmed the popular judgment that the individuals who approach the mean of these body measures are better able to withstand the hazards of life and to round out a fairly full expectation.