"Butler questions the value of long life for its own sake; modern medicine, he says, has ironically created 'a huge group of people for whom survival is possible but satisfaction in living elusive.' He proposes sweeping policy reforms to redefine and restructure the institutions responsible for what he calls 'the tragedy of old age in America.'" -New York Times Book Review "Crammed with facts that explode old myths." -Boston Globe "Heavily documented, highly readable . . . jammed with recommendations for constructive change in every area." -Science "I commend it for clarity and lucidity, unpretentiousness and comprehensiveness . . . I think it is a classic." -Karl Menninger M.D.（Johns Hopkins University Press）
The author questions the value of long life for its own sake, arguing that modern medicine has ironically created a group for whom survival is possible but satisfaction elusive. He proposed reforms to redefine and restructure the institutions responsible for the elderly in America.
