Diseases in Old Age : A Clinical and Pathological Study of 7941 Individuals Over 61 Years of Age

The increasing proportion of elderly persons in the population has opened up a whole new field in the medical—and the social—sciences. The study and the practice of geriatrics cannot, however, come into its own until a vast new body of knowledge about old age has been accumulated. Diseases in Old Age represents a major step in this direction. It is a clinical, pathological, and therapeutic study of 7941 individuals over 61 years of age: this group consists of all the patients over 61 of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, in the 30 years following its opening in March 1913. A chapter is devoted to each of ten groups of diseases; there is a summary of the findings; and in a concluding chapter Dr. Robert Monroe presents a forceful argument for the creation of an Old Age Center to promote the study and the welfare of the elderly. Contents Introduction CHAPTER 1. General features of the group CHAPTER 2. Diseases of the nervous system CHAPTER 3. The cardiovascular system CHAPTER 4. Diseases of the respiratory system CHAPTER 5. Diseases of the gastrointestinal system CHAPTER 6. Diseases of the kidney, ureter, and bladder CHAPTER 7. Diseases of the blood CHAPTER 8. Diseases of the endocrine system CHAPTER 9. Venereal diseases CHAPTER 10. Nutritional disorders and alcoholism CHAPTER 11. Diseases of the bones and joints CHAPTER 12 .Malignant disease CHAPTER 13. Summary of medical findings CHAPTER 14. The community resources essential for old people REFERENCES Index