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'''Extreme longevity tracking''' is the tracing and recording of claims of exceptionally long human lives ([[longevity]]), as a branch of [[demography]]. Trackers have been researching and compiling lists of [[supercentenarian]]s (those aged 110+) for hundreds of years.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Some longevity trackers have been famous in other fields. [[Alexander Graham Bell]], for example, dabbled in longevity tracking.{{Fact|date=January 2011}}


A [[hobby]] that dates back to the [[Middle Ages]] became a somewhat more scientific endeavor with the work of [[William Thoms]], in the 1870s.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Others contributing to the systematization of this field of study include "Young and Bowerman" in the 1930s.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} The advent of the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]] brought the validation of superlative longevity claims still-wider recognition.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} By the 1960s, some governments began tracking centenarians, as well as the oldest person in the country. For example, [[Japan]] started trying to keep track of such "records" in 1963, the [[United Kingdom|UK]] in 1966.{{Fact|date=January 2011}}
'''Extreme longevity tracking''' is the tracing and recording of claims of exceptionally long human lives ([[longevity]]), as a branch of [[demography]]. Persons have been noted for tracking '[[supercentenarian]]s' (those aged 110+) for hundreds of years; some included quite famous persons noted in other fields. What was once a hobby in the [[Middle Ages]] became a more scientific endeavor in the 1870s with [[William Thoms]]. [[Alexander Graham Bell]] dabbled in the field, among his many other pursuits. While long a back-burner field, noted names such as "Young and Bowerman" in the 1930s continued. The advent of the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]] brought the tradition worldwide recognition. By the 1960s, some governments began tracking 'centenarians' as well as the 'oldest person' in the country (for example, [[Japan]] started in 1963; the [[United Kingdom|UK]] in 1966). Today, many European nations, from [[Germany]] to the [[Netherlands]], track 'supercentenarians'. However, even some Western nations have lagged: major efforts in the [[United States|USA]] only started in the last decade, and other federalized states such as [[France]] have not yet instituted such recordkeeping. Due to this, there remains room for 'unofficial' experts.


⚫
While supercentenarian tracking may seem esoteric to some people{{Who|date=March 2009}}, recently society has recognized its use, in particular since the advent of [[pension]] payments (beginning in Germany around 1870). Early trackers, however, focused either on myth-making or myth-busting; the goal was often to find out why some people lived so long and find the 'secret to long life.' Later, scientific inquiry found that in most cases, extreme ages, especially 115+, were all false. Only in recent decades has a population of persons 110+ emerged as a consistent reality (the first validated 110-year-old was in 1898, [[Geert Adriaans Boomgaard]] of the Netherlands, but as recently as the 1970s the person recognized as the "world's oldest person" was as young as 109).
Today, many European nations, from [[Germany]] to the [[Netherlands]], track supercentenarians.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Major efforts in the [[United States|USA]] have only started more recently,{{Fact|date=January 2011}} and [[France]] has yet to institute such recordkeeping.{{Fact|date=January 2011}}

Supercentenarian tracking may seem esoteric to some.{{Who|date=March 2009}} The advent of [[pension]]s, and the need for sound actuarial data upon which to base them, has brought the study of this phenomenon more to the forefront, beginning in Germany, around 1870.{{Fact|date=January 2011}}

⚫
Early trackers, however, focused either on myth-making or myth-busting;{{Fact|date=January 2011}} the goal was often to find out why some people lived so long and the "secret to long life."{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Later scientific inquiry found that most extant claims of extreme age, especially claims of longevity beyond 115 years, were false.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Only in recent decades has a population of people 110 years of age and beyond emerged as a consistent reality.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} The first claim to an age of 110-year-old recognized by modern centenarian trackers was [[Geert Adriaans Boomgaard]] of the Netherlands, who was 110 years old in 1898.{{Fact|date=January 2011}} Still, as recently as the 1970s, the person recognized{{Who|date=January 2011}} as the "world's oldest person" was as young as 109.{{Fact|date=January 2011}}


==History==
==History==
{{Refimprovesect|date=January 2011}}
{{Expand list|date=March 2009}}
⚫
Currently, there is no scientific way to determine the chronological age of a human individual through scientific testing. When dealing with the extremes of data, age misreporting can be the first and foremost issue. For example, the [[2000 U.S. Census]] was considered generally reliable for younger ages,{{Who|date=January 2011}} but by age 110, 90% of the cases (or more) were believed{{Who|date=January 2011}} to be false. (1,388 supercentenarians were reported by the [[U.S. Census Bureau|Census Bureau]], while the U.S. [[Social Security Administration]] (SSA) reported only 139 people aged 110 or older as appearing in SSA records. The [[Gerontology Research Group]] has never yet accepted as verified even 100 living supercentenarians at any time, worldwide.


⚫
Currently, there is no scientific way to determine the chronological age of a human individual through scientific testing. Therefore, a system of documented recordkeeping is needed so that the ages of test subjects recruited for scientific studies can be considered accurate. When dealing with the extremes of data, often age misreporting can be the first and foremost issue. For example, the 2000 U.S. Census was considered generally reliable for younger ages, but by age 110, 90% of the cases or more were believed to be false (1,388 supercentenarians were reported, while Social Security reported only 139 persons aged 110 or older on their pension rolls at the time; and, note, the Gerontology Research Group has never yet accepted as verified even 100 living supercentenarians at any time, worldwide).
⚫
Demographers, therefore, have recognized that data of the extremes can only be considered accurate when systems of recordkeeping are compulsory (including 100% of the population) for at least 100 consecutive years.{{Who|date=January 2011}} Sweden began compulsory recordkeeping in 1749; the data is considered accurate since 1860 (Wilmoth, 1999). Prior to 1860, age claims in Sweden went as high as 147.


⚫
Demographers, therefore, have recognized that data of the extremes can only be considered accurate when systems of recordkeeping are compulsory (including 100% of the population) for at least 100 consecutive years. For example, Sweden began compulsory recordkeeping in 1749; the data is considered accurate since 1860 (Wilmoth, 1999). Prior to 1860, age claims in Sweden went as high as 147.
⚫
Whole-population data can therefore be divided into three periods: preliterate, transitional and modern. In the "preliterate" period, records we kept only for the monarch and nobles; the general populace was uneducated and undocumented. Gradually, as the expansion of tax rolls made an accurate [[census]] necessary (the [[Domesday Book]] of [[England]], for example), governments saw the need to keep records for first the middle class and eventually for everyone. This period is called "transitional" because a significant percentage of the population had records of birth, marriage, baptism, etc. but a substantial proportion did not.


⚫
Whole-population data can therefore be divided into three periods: preliterate, transitional, and modern. In the preliterate period, records we kept only for the monarch and nobles, and the general populace was uneducated and undocumented. Gradually, as the expansion of tax rolls made the census a necessity (the Domesday of England, for example), governments saw the need to keep records for next the Middle Class and ultimately everyone. This period is called "transitional" because a significant percentage of the population had records of birth, marriage, baptism, etc. but a substantial proportion did not.
⚫
When a record system reaches near 100% coverage, that system is said to be "modern." Currently, modern systems include those of nations such as England, Sweden, and Japan. The United States is still in the transitional period: Universal birth registration was not compulsory until 1933, so the U.S. will be considered transitional period until about 2050, by which time the data set will become reliable{{Who|date=January 2011}} even without age validation by a non-governmental source. Until that time, the age claim of the oldest person in the U.S. cannot be assumed to be valid without proof. In 2008, the oldest American claimant was Pearl Gartrell, who claimed birth April 1, 1888 and died November 23, 2008. (If accurate, Gartrell lived to be 120 years old.) The oldest verified{{Who|date=January 2011}} living American was [[Edna Parker]], born April 20, 1893, who was 115 years old when she died on November 26, 2008.


⚫
When a record system reaches near 100% coverage, that system is said to be "modern." Currently, modern systems include those of nations such as England, Sweden, and Japan. Surprisingly, the USA is still in the transitional period: Universal birth registration was not compulsory until 1933, so the US will be in the transitional period until around 2050, by which time the data will become reliable even without age validation. Until that time, the age claim of the oldest person in the U.S. cannot be assumed to be valid without proof. In 2008, the oldest American claimant was Pearl Gartrell, who claimed birth April 1, 1888 and died November 23, 2008 (and would therefore be 120 years old, if accurate) while the oldest verified living American was [[Edna Parker]], born April 20, 1893, aged 115 years old, when deceased November 26, 2008...indicating the gap between claimed age and proven age in the U.S. was five years at the time.
⚫
Since their deaths, the oldest claimant may be Elizabeth Johnson (born December 25, 1892) of Mississippi, while the official{{Who|date=January 2011}} oldest living American is now Eunice Sanborn (born July 20, 1896), a gap of three years.


⚫
Since their deaths, the oldest claimant may be Elizabeth Johnson (born December 25, 1892) of Mississippi, while the official oldest living American is now Eunice Sanborn (born July 20, 1896), a gap of now three years.
⚫
For comparison, in the United Kingdom the oldest person is Eunice Bowman (born August 23, 1898) while the oldest claimant is immigrant Montazi Hussain (born July 1895). Although some nations are considered to have "modern" systems or recordkeeping, due to immigration from other nations there is still a need for age validation.

⚫
Comparatively, in the United Kingdom the oldest person is Eunice Bowman (born August 23, 1898) while the oldest claimant is immigrant Montazi Hussain (born July 1895). Although some nations are considered to have "modern" systems or recordkeeping, due to immigration from other nations, there is still a need for age validation.


'''History of Age Validation'''
'''History of Age Validation'''
Line 36: Line 32:
*1951--Paul Vincent and the method of extreme generations
*1951--Paul Vincent and the method of extreme generations
*1966--Roger Thatcher and Vaino Kannisto develop the K-T Database
*1966--Roger Thatcher and Vaino Kannisto develop the K-T Database
*1994--Bernard Jeune and the mortality trajectory hypothesis
*1994-Bernard Jeune and the mortality trajectory hypothesis


==Researchers==
==Researchers==

{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2011}}
Researchers and groups in the field include the Gerontology Research Group (founded by [[L. Stephen Coles]] in 1990), the [[Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research]] (founded by [[James Vaupel]] in 1996), the Supercentenarian Research Foundation (founded by Stan Primmer in 2004), Louis Epstein, Robert Douglas Young and Filipe Prista Lucas. Resources include the International Database on Longevity (founded by [[Jean-Marie Robine]] in 2005).
Researchers and groups in the field include the [[Gerontology Research Group]] (founded by [[L. Stephen Coles]] in 1990), the [[Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research]] (founded by [[James Vaupel]] in 1996), the Supercentenarian Research Foundation (founded by Stan Primmer in 2004), Louis Epstein, Robert Douglas Young and Filipe Prista Lucas. Resources include the International Database on Longevity (founded by [[Jean-Marie Robine]] in 2005).


==National level==
==National level==

The following people are recognized by the Gerontology Research Group<ref>http://www.grg.org/correspondents.html</ref> as sources of data on supercentenarians at the national level:
The following people are recognized <ref>http://www.grg.org/correspondents.html</ref> sources of data on supercentenarians at the national level:


* Filipe Prista Lucas ([[Portugal]])
* Filipe Prista Lucas ([[Portugal]])
Line 53: Line 50:


==Other trackers==
==Other trackers==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2011}}


* [[A. Ross Eckler, Jr.]] (with Guinness World Records 1950's to 1970's)
* [[A. Ross Eckler, Jr.]] (with Guinness World Records 1950's to 1970's)

Revision as of 00:32, 6 February 2011

Extreme longevity tracking is the tracing and recording of claims of exceptionally long human lives (longevity), as a branch of demography. Persons have been noted for tracking 'supercentenarians' (those aged 110+) for hundreds of years; some included quite famous persons noted in other fields. What was once a hobby in the Middle Ages became a more scientific endeavor in the 1870s with William Thoms. Alexander Graham Bell dabbled in the field, among his many other pursuits. While long a back-burner field, noted names such as "Young and Bowerman" in the 1930s continued. The advent of the Guinness Book of World Records brought the tradition worldwide recognition. By the 1960s, some governments began tracking 'centenarians' as well as the 'oldest person' in the country (for example, Japan started in 1963; the UK in 1966). Today, many European nations, from Germany to the Netherlands, track 'supercentenarians'. However, even some Western nations have lagged: major efforts in the USA only started in the last decade, and other federalized states such as France have not yet instituted such recordkeeping. Due to this, there remains room for 'unofficial' experts.

While supercentenarian tracking may seem esoteric to some people[who?], recently society has recognized its use, in particular since the advent of pension payments (beginning in Germany around 1870). Early trackers, however, focused either on myth-making or myth-busting; the goal was often to find out why some people lived so long and find the 'secret to long life.' Later, scientific inquiry found that in most cases, extreme ages, especially 115+, were all false. Only in recent decades has a population of persons 110+ emerged as a consistent reality (the first validated 110-year-old was in 1898, Geert Adriaans Boomgaard of the Netherlands, but as recently as the 1970s the person recognized as the "world's oldest person" was as young as 109).

History

Currently, there is no scientific way to determine the chronological age of a human individual through scientific testing. Therefore, a system of documented recordkeeping is needed so that the ages of test subjects recruited for scientific studies can be considered accurate. When dealing with the extremes of data, often age misreporting can be the first and foremost issue. For example, the 2000 U.S. Census was considered generally reliable for younger ages, but by age 110, 90% of the cases or more were believed to be false (1,388 supercentenarians were reported, while Social Security reported only 139 persons aged 110 or older on their pension rolls at the time; and, note, the Gerontology Research Group has never yet accepted as verified even 100 living supercentenarians at any time, worldwide).

Demographers, therefore, have recognized that data of the extremes can only be considered accurate when systems of recordkeeping are compulsory (including 100% of the population) for at least 100 consecutive years. For example, Sweden began compulsory recordkeeping in 1749; the data is considered accurate since 1860 (Wilmoth, 1999). Prior to 1860, age claims in Sweden went as high as 147.

Whole-population data can therefore be divided into three periods: preliterate, transitional, and modern. In the preliterate period, records we kept only for the monarch and nobles, and the general populace was uneducated and undocumented. Gradually, as the expansion of tax rolls made the census a necessity (the Domesday of England, for example), governments saw the need to keep records for next the Middle Class and ultimately everyone. This period is called "transitional" because a significant percentage of the population had records of birth, marriage, baptism, etc. but a substantial proportion did not.

When a record system reaches near 100% coverage, that system is said to be "modern." Currently, modern systems include those of nations such as England, Sweden, and Japan. Surprisingly, the USA is still in the transitional period: Universal birth registration was not compulsory until 1933, so the US will be in the transitional period until around 2050, by which time the data will become reliable even without age validation. Until that time, the age claim of the oldest person in the U.S. cannot be assumed to be valid without proof. In 2008, the oldest American claimant was Pearl Gartrell, who claimed birth April 1, 1888 and died November 23, 2008 (and would therefore be 120 years old, if accurate) while the oldest verified living American was Edna Parker, born April 20, 1893, aged 115 years old, when deceased November 26, 2008...indicating the gap between claimed age and proven age in the U.S. was five years at the time.

Since their deaths, the oldest claimant may be Elizabeth Johnson (born December 25, 1892) of Mississippi, while the official oldest living American is now Eunice Sanborn (born July 20, 1896), a gap of now three years.

Comparatively, in the United Kingdom the oldest person is Eunice Bowman (born August 23, 1898) while the oldest claimant is immigrant Montazi Hussain (born July 1895). Although some nations are considered to have "modern" systems or recordkeeping, due to immigration from other nations, there is still a need for age validation.

History of Age Validation

  • Prehistory and the age of myths
  • Development of systems of recordkeeping
  • 1846--Quetelet begins using a validation process for the ages of centenarians
  • 1870s--William Thoms and a new skepticism
  • 1890s--Thomas Emley Young and actuarial science
    • Thomas Emley Young was the president of the Society of Actuaries, London, and the foremost supercentenarian researcher in his day. He continued the work of William Thoms and introduced the method of counting "years and days" for living centenarians and supercentenarians
  • 1918--Alexander Graham Bell
  • 1939--Walter Bowerman
  • 1951--Paul Vincent and the method of extreme generations
  • 1966--Roger Thatcher and Vaino Kannisto develop the K-T Database
  • 1994-Bernard Jeune and the mortality trajectory hypothesis

Researchers

Researchers and groups in the field include the Gerontology Research Group (founded by L. Stephen Coles in 1990), the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (founded by James Vaupel in 1996), the Supercentenarian Research Foundation (founded by Stan Primmer in 2004), Louis Epstein, Robert Douglas Young and Filipe Prista Lucas. Resources include the International Database on Longevity (founded by Jean-Marie Robine in 2005).

National level

The following people are recognized [1] sources of data on supercentenarians at the national level:

Other trackers

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.grg.org/correspondents.html
  • William Thoms (1879). The Longevity of Man. Its Facts and Its Fictions. With a prefatory letter to Prof. Owen, C.B., F.R.S. on the limits and frequency of exceptional cases. London: F. Norgate. OCLC 4854500.
  • Langdon Kain (April 1898), "Man's Span of Life", The North American Review, 166 (497)
  • Young, Thomas Emley (1899). On Centenarians; and the Duration of the Human Race: A Fresh and Authentic Enquiry; with Historical Notes, Criticisms, and Speculations. London: Charles and Edwin Layton. OCLC 4874653.
  • Allan L. Benson (May 16, 1909). "Learning the length of life" (PDF). New York Times.
  • Bernard Jeune, James W Vaupel (1995). Exceptional Longevity: From Prehistory to the Present. Odense: Odense University Press. OCLC 300750028.
  • "In search of the secret of centenarians". Health and mortality among elderly populations. Oxford University Press. 1996. pp. 75, 76, 85. ISBN 9780198233374. OCLC 246972107. {{cite book}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help); Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |series-title= ignored (help)
  • Bernard Jeune; James W Vaupel (1999). Validation of Exceptional Longevity. ISBN 9788778384669.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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