SUPERCENTENARIANS 110+
(Investigator 143, 2012 March)
Claude Choules of Australia died in 2011 aged 110. For a list of 964 genuine "Supercentenarians" to 2007, i.e. people who lived to 110 or longer, and others alive now, see the website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_living_Supercentenarians
The oldest is Jeanne Calment of France who died at 122. She and Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper (115) are mentioned in Neurobiology of Aging. (Volume 29, p. 1127) Their ages and 962 others who died aged between 110 and 121 are credible.
How credible are most other reports of people living beyond 120 years? For example:
Hohua Ahowhenua (1765-1889) of Matamata Plains, New Zealand, in accordance with tribal custom after having tilled his fields until the age of 122 was abandoned in a deserted village to starve. He lived to the age of 124 by capturing and eating peacocks.
(Ripley's Giant Believe It or Not! 1985)
Thomas Parr was born in the County of Salopp, England in 1483 A.D. and died in 1635 A.D. — 152 Years! Thomas Parr lived a vigorous, active life and married his first wife when he was 80-years old, and his second in 1605 when aged 122. He fathered his first child when he was over 130 years old. After Parr's death, an English doctor named William Harvey (he discovered the circulation of blood) was hired by King Charles to perform an autopsy to find out why Thomas Parr lived so long. Dr. Harvey's autopsy report…says all of Parr's organs were in perfect condition and, his colon was as clean and healthy as that of a child!
www.ultimatecoloncleanse.com/coloncleansing.html?or_sub=1
Brazilian Maria do Carmo was the world's oldest woman when she died at 129 this week.
(The Advertiser 2000, June 17, p32)
THE DUBIOUS
Table 1 below of long-lived people is from Chapter 3 of The Seed (1980) by anthropologist/theologian Arthur C. Custance (1910-1985).
Many websites naively reproduce Custance's list and even include individuals he left unnamed and listed as "Gentleman", "A Peasant", "A Negress" and "Unnamed Lady". I've deleted all unnamed ones from the table and also those aged below 110.
Custance includes some people of Vilcabamba. The Advertiser (1973, February 12) reported on "Shangri-la" in Ecuador in a mountain valley known as Vilcabamba: "the valley's oldest inhabitants were 142-year-old Jose David and 123-year-old Miguel Carpio." An earlier report about centenarians in Vilcabamba appeared in National Geographic 1973, January.
In 1978, however, the longevity claims were exposed as a scam to promote tourism. The locals had fooled reporters by pretending that the names of fathers or grandfathers in church baptism records were their own.
Other researchers reported centenarian communities in the Soviet Union, Mexico, Pakistan, and other Asian countries. Custance says that the Soviet Union census of 1959 counted 578 people aged over 120 years! Again fraud cannot be ruled out. Some were probably cases of sons or grandsons who, decades earlier, had taken their father's or grandfather's identity to escape military service.
The apparent married couple in Table 1, Iwan and Elizabeth Yorath (1465-1621 & 1491-1668), are also mentioned in The Bible Comes Alive (5th edition 1940) by Sir Charles Marston as evidence for the longevity of Bible characters.
Table 2 is based on Fortean Times (FT) and Ripley's Believe It or Not! (R) and lists some of the people who achieved longevity notoriety after Custance was published or which he otherwise omitted.
Custance's list includes Attila the Hun and gives his age at death from haemorrhage as 124. Attila led armies of marauding Huns into Greece, Hungary, France and Italy and he married a Burgundian princess just before he died. Excessive vigorous activity in his 120s such as horse-riding, fighting battles, and sex with a princess can theoretically account for his sudden death. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, however, says Attila lived 406-453CE — a mere 47 years.
Custance is uncritical of all extreme-longevity claims including the Vilcabamba claims, and he also writes: "Pliny records from a census of 76 A.D. in the days of Emperor Vespasian that there were living in the valley between the Apennines and the Po River 124 persons over the age of 100, two of whom were 135, four were 137, and three were 140."
Li Chang-Yun, the oldest person Custance listed, was reported in The New York Times (1933, May 6) which stated he was a resident of Kaihsien in the Province of Szechwan, had outlived 23 wives, and: "In 1930…Professor Wu Chung-chien, dean of the department of Education in Minkuo University, had found records showing Li was born in 1677 and that Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th birthdays…"
A useful website listing "Supercentenarians" is mentioned in my introduction, and that website stops with Jeanne Calment who died aged 122. Every claim above 122 should be considered very dubious.
Table 1 (Based on Custance chapter 3)
PERSON
LOCATION
DEATH
AGE
Astana Shlarba Georgia, USSR 1966 110 Elizabeth Lambe West Indies 1830 110 Thomas Robinson Ontario, Canada
1970
110
Ada Roe England 1970
111
Jim Ho Canada 1976 111 John Turner England 1968 111 Spencer Church Ontario, Canada 1961 111 Caesar Paul Ontario, Canada 1975 112 Josef Mittelstadt Prussia 1792 112 Annie Firlotte New Brunswick, Canada 1954 113 Arma Darendonian France 1972 113 Francis Hongo Venice 1702 113 Gabriel Sanchez Vilcabamba 1976 113 Amina Orujeva Azerbaijan, USSR 1967 114 Zibeida Sheidayeva Azerbaijan, USSR 1974 114 Johnny Murtee Australia 1976 115 Teb Sharmat Abkhasia, USSR 1966 115 Walter Williams Texas, USA 1959 117 Mary Mills West Indies 1805 118 Jane Morgan Jamaica 1830 120 Mary Goodsall Jamaica 1820 120 Mr. C. Cotterel
Philadelphia, USA
1760? 120 Charles Layne Virginia, USA 1821 121 Mrs Gray Kent, England
1770 121 Rev. Toby Crosby Florida, USA 1976 122 Sabir Kurbonadaov Tajik Republic, USSR 1973 122 Demetrius Liondos
Greece 1970 123 John Gilley Maine, USA 1813 123 Noah Raby New Jersey, USA 1895 123 Attila, the Hun Germany 453 124 Francisco Rubjo Mexico 1943 124 Thomas Wishart Scotland 1760 124 Sylvester Magee Missouri, USA 196? 126 Mary Yates England 1776
127 Miguel Carpio Vilcabamba 1976 127 Eglebert Hoff New York, USA 1764 128 Balakishi Orujeva Azerbaijan, USSR 1967 130 Ephriam Zithundu Zulu South Africa 1975 130 Francis Peat Jamaica 1830 130 Margaret Darby Jamaica 1821 130 Ramonotowane Seran Bechuanaland 1945 130 Peter Garden Scotland
1775
131 Gabriel Erazo
Vilcabamba 1976 132 Mathayo Achungo Kenya 1976
132 Charlie Smith Florida, USA 1976 133 Beim Mekraliyeva Azerbaijan, USSR 1966 134 Henry Francisco New York, USA 1820 134 Anton Pilya Georgia, USSR 1965 135 Nicholas Petours Germany 1775? 137 Juan Moroygota Columbia 1828 138 Lasuria Khfaf Azerbaijan, USSR 1974 140 Meclahig Agayev Azerbaijan, USSR 1976 140 William Hotchluss St. Louis, USA 1895 140 Jose David Vilcabamba 1973 142 Hilario Pari Peru
1807? 143 Jean Effingham Cornwall, England 1757 144 Countess of Desmond England 1619 145 Joseph Bam Jamaica 1821 146 Bridget Devine England
1845 147 C. J. Drakenberg Denmark 1772 150 Catherine Hiatt Jamaica 1831 150 Mahmoud Nivazov Azerbaijan, USSR 1959 150 G. Stanley England 1719 151 Judith Crawford Jamaica 1829 151 Thomas Parr England 1635 152 Thomas Newman England 1542 153 Asmar Salakhova Armenia 1966 154 Iwan Yorath England-Wales 1621 156 Sampson Skakoragaro Tanzania 1969 158 Joseph Surrington Norway ?
160 Robert Lynch Jamaica 1830 160 Sarah Desson Rovin England 1741 164 Zaro Aga USA 1932 164 Jonas Warren Ireland 1787 167 Ali Ashraf Husseini
Iran 1976 168 Shirali Mislimov Azerbaijan, USSR 1973 168 Henry Jenkins England 1670 169 Javier Pereira Columbia 1958 169 Jean Korin Hungary ? 172 John Gower England
? 172 John Rovin England
1741 172 Baba Harainsingh India 1952 176 Elizabeth Yorath England-Wales 1668 177 Kentigren Scotland 600 185 Peter Torton England
1724 185 Petrarsh Zartan Hungary 1724
187 Li Chang-Yun China 1933 256
Table 2 (Based on Ripley's & Fortean Times)
PERSON
LOCATION
DEATH
AGE
Emperor Ojin-Tenno R Japan 310 109 Ivan Tchghelovski R
Russia 1847 110 Luang Pu Supha FT
Thailand 2010 113 Tane Ikai FT USA 1996 114 Saw Mya Kyi FT Burma 2010 118 Barbara Viertaler R Austria 1812? 119? Robert Gibson R USA 1885 119 Atidje Starkova FT Bulgaria 1996 120 Dr. James Muatt R Scotland 1776 120 Clement Olheim R France 1812
122
Susie Brunson FT USA 1994 123 Hohua Ahowhenua R New Zealand 1889 124 Haume Solmaz FT Turkey 2010 125 Juana Rodriguez FT Cuba 2010 125 Francisco Barriosnuevo Choperana FT Columbia ?
125+ Swift Arrow R Chippewa Indian Chief
1917 129 Antisa Khvichava FT Georgia, Soviet Union 2010 130 Saleem Bin Naseeb Al Haddad Al Hajri FT Oman 1995 130 Raimundo Gomes De Santos FT
Brazil ?
133 Zolfali Soltanmoradi FT Iran 1995 140 Gong Laifa FT China 1995 147 Amm Atwa Moussa FT Egypt ?
150 Turina FT Sumatra 2010 157
References:
Fortean Times No. 89 August 1996, pp 14-15
Ripley's Giant Believe It or Not! 1985, Bonanza Books, NY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Custance
www.custance.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_living_Supercentenarians
(BS)