Never before in human existence have the aged been so numerous -- and
for the most part -- healthy. In this important new book, two
professionals, an anthropologist and a physician, wrestle with the
complex subject of aging. Is it inevitable? Is it a burden or gift? What
is successful aging? Why are some people better at aging than others?
Where is aging located? How does it vary among individuals, within and
between groups, cultures, societies, and indeed, over the centuries?
Reflecting on these and other questions, the authors comment on the
impact age has in their lives and work.
Two unique viewpoints are presented. While medicine approaches aging
with special attention given to the body, its organs, and its functions
over time, anthropology focuses on how the aged live within their
cultural settings. As this volume makes clear, the two disciplines have
a great deal to teach each other, and in a spirited exchange, the
authors show how professional barriers can be surmounted.
In a novel approach, each author explores a different aspect of aging in
alternating chapters. These chapters are in turn followed by a
commentary by the other. Further, the authors interrupt each other
within the chapters - to raise questions, contradict, ask for
clarification, and explore related ideas - with these interjections
emphasizing the dynamic nature of their ideas about age. Finally, a
third "voice" - that of a random old man - periodically inserts itself
into the text to remind the authors of their necessarily limited
understanding of the subject.
