活到150歲

New drugs offer hope of life to 150-plus
Deborah Smith

THE first drugs that can slow the ageing process are likely to become available within five to 10 years, raising the prospect of people living to 150 or more, researchers say.

Peter Smith, dean of medicine at the University of NSW, said a girl born today in Australia could reasonably expect to live to 100 already, due to advances in medicine, lifestyle and public health.

Also, new drugs to help the body repair itself were in the early stages of development, along with new stem cell therapies.

''I think there is real hope we can extend human life by some decades further,'' Professor Smith said.

Living to 150 may sound unnerving, but it would be ''great'' if you were well until near the end, he said. ''The aim is not just to eke out extra existence but to facilitate a longer healthy life.''

Such longevity, however, would raise serious issues for society, which are the subject of the UNSW Medicine Dean's lecture tonight, titled Happy and healthy ageing: paradox or possibility?
(Extracting from SMH 17/10/2011)

今早看了這則新聞，真的嚇了一跳。科學倡明，醫療進步，活到100歲，隨時可做到。人口老化是很多政府感到頭痛的問題，現在要搞進一步老化，豈不嚇人。醫學院長今晚的講題是Happy and Healthy Ageing : Paradox or Possibility?我沒有資格旁聽，不知這paradox指那方面，possibility講也無謂，除了藥的功効，還涉及能力的問題，不少人未活到一百歲已喊得一句句，搶汽水罐，搶免費報紙，為幫補一口糧。現在像坐牢加監，給你加刑50年，死未？監倉都爆滿，再往裏擠。世界人口60億，該死的時候不讓你死，延年益壽，到時吃甚麼呢？這課題真有趣Happy and Healthy Ageing，談何容易。健康也許容易一點，發明十全大補丸，不是補藥，而是修補的藥，修補器官、機能及幹細胞。這些藥據稱可以醫老人癡呆。沒有老人癡呆了，自己生活有多潦倒也清楚知道；沒有二型糖尿了，因為吃不飽，沒有多餘的糖份。醫學倡明也有缺點，以前有些胎兒因先天問題會自然流產，醫療改善了，不應該生出來的孩子也出生了。究竟是禍是福，誰說得清。身體有些器官，經過多年的工作，躹躬盡瘁，到了功成身退的時候，幹嗎要它捱下去呢？以男性的前列腺為例，大部份都有慢性的疾病，不用過份去理它，真的到了出大毛病時，人都死了。延長了生命，豈非原本不用治的病也要延年治病？


如果你今年50歲，叫你多活100年，想起來簡直是惡夢，手心冒汗。怎樣健康都好，體質始終會越來越差，了無生趣，怎樣活下去？為了生計，只好繼續捱下去，退休年齡100歲。到了100歲才有資格領取生果金，準確一點應該叫生果汁金。牙都沒有了，生果也啃不動，只能吃糊仔飲果汁。這種長壽，be my guest，拱手相贈，我肯定自己從名單剔除。不久之前才寫了活到100歲，不足三個月就增加了50歲，不久的將來，長命百歲竟變成咒人短命的祝福。