Morbid: A book review

There are few things I enjoy more than a sound debunking. A few years ago, I was asked to review a book on “the science of near-death experiences.” The guy who requested the review was the author, who is also the editor of Missouri Medicine. I wrote a review that expressed my deep skepticism in the gentlest terms I could summon, and it was published in Missouri Medicine. My only Amazon product review is of a book published by a colleague in the history department, and I was far less gentle with that embarrassing publication*.  

I just finished reading “Morbid: Debunking modern longevity science” by Saul J. Newman. Newman is a skeptic of longevity/aging research as marketed in the popular press and pharma industry. Along the way, he takes on the claims of telomere length as a driver of aging, a field I’ve followed closely and written about. He also takes on popular nostrums like resveratrol and young blood transfusions. He explains the distinction between longevity and aging and why it matters.

The book starts with a long discussion of centenarians and supercentenarians, focusing on the various claimed oldest men and women. Famously, Jeanne Calment allegedly lived to 122. But this claim is clouded by the very real possibility that Jeanne’s identity may have been stolen by her unemployed daughter who (a) wanted her government checks to continue and (b) wanted to prevent the French government from seizing 40% of Jeanne’s estate for taxes. The question of identity theft could be resolved using genomics, but neither the cadaver nor a known blood sample have been tested. Newman points out that the areas boasting the largest number of centenarians and supercentenarians (so-called “Blue Zones”) are the poorest places with poor or absent birth records. He also points out than many of these long-lived people are long-time smokers and drinkers (like Calment) who have poor diets and limited experience with public health measures like clean water, vaccines and antibiotics. Age claims are based on assertion and, in some cases, vary considerably even for a single claimant. All this matters because the numbers of such individuals is so small, so even a few people who are actually 10-20 years younger than they claim would completely demolish current models for how humans age, what the maximum human lifespan could be and how to best achieve it.

Newman is a statistician with a strong background in plant science, but he has a solid grasp of genetics and population biology. There are a lot of shibboleths, icons and gasbags in the aging field and Newman pummels and punctures them with zest. The writing is lively and in parts as funny as a Dave Barry book. I can’t vouch for all of the statistical claims, but he links to published, refereed papers in reputable journals (unlike Dave Barry). All in all, this was a delightful read and a great antidote for those who, like Woody Allen, plan to achieve immortality by not dying.

* https://www.amazon.com/portal/customer-reviews/srp/-/R2ANR8Q97XV5LD/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8