Epidemiological research on ageing: an orientation.

Epidemiology of ageing is a field distinct from that of gerontology. It is concerned with the occurrence of different rates of the fundamental biological process of ageing, relating the rates to their determinants. In principle, it holds very exciting prospects for the preservation of youthfulness and the prevention of illness. However, its development has hardly begun, and suitable measures of the stage of ageing in an individual are not even available. The feasibility of developing such measures is being questioned today, but the grounds of this are specious. Progress is also hindered by the field's association with geriatrics today. Reorientation and reorganization are needed to help the epidemiology of ageing to get underway and to bear fruit.