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villages, but there were sufficient of them to establish certain important points.
It was found that nine-tenths of old people have something wrong with them,
about half having trouble associated with heart or arteries. Respiratory disease
is common, expecially among the men, possibly partly due to the occupations
they followed during their working lives. In both men and women both
rheumatic and genito-urinary diseases are frequently found and also hernia.
In women particularly, obesity is common; many also suffer from prolapse,
especially when they have never attended a post-natal clinic. Three quarters
of all old people have trouble with their feet and need chiropody; about onefifth
have unsatisfactory glasses. There are many deaf, particularly men, and
few have effective hearing aids. One-quarter of them all have no dentures.
In old people symptoms do not necessarily have the same significance as
in young people, for instance blood pressure may not be a disability. Disability
increases with age, particularly in women, who suffer more and live longer and
are greatly in the majority. Men tend to be more healthy but are shorter lived.
Disability also increases as the social class and living conditions fall;
among the lowest classes the effects of bad nutrition are seen; a predominantly
starchy diet leads to obesity and other afflictions. About 20 per cent suffer
from malnutrition and from the deficiency diseases such as scurvy and anaemia.
In some instances the income is too low for the minimum standard diet to be
obtained.
Mental deterioration is most marked from 80 onwards. A condition of
apathy is sometimes found, often following the death of a husband or wife,
which results in the old person just not bothering to look after him or herself.
Employment is a great incentive and there is no doubt that many old people
are happier continuing in work.
The fact that deficiency diseases are the most common in the old people
indicates the need for vitamin and mineral additions to the diets for the elderly
just as are given to young children when they are suffering from malnutrition.
Lack of protein in the diet causes obesity and high blood pressure, and multiple
disabilities result. This is particularly evident in the industrial areas where
the women often deny themselves the high protein foods to let the men have
them. The women feed mostly on a starchy diet; some suffer from as many as
four disabilities whilst the men remain comparatively healthy. In this group
of women the systolic blood pressure is often about 200-300; people with this
high blood pressure are prone to heart failure or stroke.
A factor analysis was carried out on the data obtained from the survey
using the relationships between the sexes, ages, blood pressure, haemoglobin,
and the diseases the old people suffered from. The analysis showed that the
following were the natural groupings; it is possible that a common causative
influence is acting on each group.
Group A. Healthiness:
Systolic blood pressure 130-159;
No disease;
Haemoglobin 100-129.
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