Case School of Medicine professors edit book on fountain of youth
Anti-aging research has raised many questions
July 2, 2004 | For more information: George Stamatis 216-368-3635
Two Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine faculty members, Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., and Robert H. Binstock, Ph.D., are the editors of a new collection of essays entitled The Fountain of Youth.
Named after the legendary “Fountain of Youth” that Ponce de León searched for in the 16th century, the book deals with issues of aging, particularly recent research hoping to extend human life. The book is published by Oxford University Press.
The human race has been searching for the secret to perpetual youth for centuries. Instructions for preparing an ointment that transforms an old man into a youth of 20 were found on Egyptian papyrus that dates back to 1600 BC.
Since then, other potential cures for old age have included alchemy; sleeping with virgins; grafts of injected extracts from the testicles, ovaries, or glands of various animals; cell injections from the tissues of newborn or fetal animals; elixirs; drugs; hormones; dietary supplements; cryonics; and exposure to minerals and thermal springs. Only recently has the serious research of anti-aging become a respectable scientific activity.
This research has raised many questions. What if aging could be decelerated to the extent that both average life expectancy and maximum life span would increase by 40 percent? What if all humans could live to be centenarians, free of the chronic diseases and disabilities now commonly associated with old age?
The Fountain of Youth addresses questions like these and examines the biomedical goal of prolongevity from a variety of perspectives. It contains essays from experts in their field, including Case faculty member Eric T. Juengst, Ph.D., associate professor of bioethics.
Post is a professor of bioethics at the Case School of Medicine. He is the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Bioethics (3rd edition), has written numerous articles and books on dementia and aging, and received the 1998 distinguished service recognition from the Alzheimer‚s Association.
Binstock is a professor of aging, health, and society at Case. He is a former president of the Gerontological Society of America and has served as a director of a White House Task Force on Older Americans. Most of his 23 books and more than 200 articles and book chapters deal with aging.
Robert N. Butler, M.D., president and CEO of the International Longevity Center, has praised The Fountain of Youth, saying,
“This intriguing book proves once again that Robert Binstock and his colleague, Stephen Post, are willing to question assumptions and examine with fresh eyes a variety of viewpoints relating to the significant issues of aging and the science of longevity.”
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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