The Clock of Ages
Why We Age, How We Age, Winding Back the Clock

Describes in everyday language the biology behind the changes we all face as we grow old.

John J. Medina (Author)

9780521594561, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 August 1997

348 pages, 64 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.55 kg

'… this fascinating book takes us on a comprehensive tour of our ageing bodies, inside and out … Clearly illustrated and very readable, the book approaches what is often a taboo subject with both humor and humanity.' The Good Book Guide

Anyone who has watched a wrinkle slowly gouge their face like a strip mine, or has been disturbed by a loss of memory, has uncomfortably confronted the human ageing process. The inexorable march of time on our bodies begs an important question: why do we have to grow old? Written in everyday language, The Clock of Ages takes us on a tour of the ageing human body - all from a research scientist's point of view. From the deliberate creation of organisms that live three times their natural span to the isolation of human genes that may allow us to do the same, The Clock of Ages also examines the latest discoveries in geriatric genetics. Sprinkled throughout the pages are descriptions of the aging of many historical figures, such as Florence Nightingale, Jane Austen, Bonaparte and Casanova. These stories underscore the common bond that unites us all: they aged, even as we do. The Clock of Ages tells you why.

Preface
Introduction
Part I. Who Ages?
Introduction
1. A slippery overarching definition
2. Humanizing ageing and death
3. Why age at all?
Part II. How Do We Age?
Introduction
4. How the skin and hair age
5. The ageing of bones, muscles and joints
6. The ageing of the brain
7. How the heart ages
8. The ageing of the lungs
9. What happens to the digestion
10. How the senses age
11. The ageing of the reproductive system
Part III. Why Do We Age?
Introduction
12. A tale of two theories
13. Error accumulation
14. Programmed death
15. Winding back the clock
Conclusions
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Human biology [PSX], Popular science [PDZ], Maturation & ageing [MFKH3]