Accelerated Aging

March 19, 2006 6:09 PM

Accelerated aging in human beings- Is it possible? Causes? Medical name? And instances in film and literature?

Recently heard about Psychogenic Dwarfism and would be curious to know if the opposite exists, and if there is a stress connection, and how it's been adressed in ficition and narrative.

posted by andrewyakovlev to media & arts (15 comments total)

Progeria.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 6:10 PM on March 19, 2006

why you try a google search of your exact question before asking.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 6:12 PM on March 19, 2006

It's not a good movie, but Jack is about a rapidly aging boy.
posted by Alison at 6:13 PM on March 19, 2006

esp sudden or spontaneous acceleration
posted by andrewyakovlev at 6:20 PM on March 19, 2006

Always funny but never helpful
posted by aubilenon at 6:27 PM on March 19, 2006

Blade Runner--J.F. Sebastian.
posted by Kafkaesque at 6:40 PM on March 19, 2006

The Hunger
posted by RoseovSharon at 6:56 PM on March 19, 2006

Have you ever seen the The Hunger?
posted by Fat Guy at 6:56 PM on March 19, 2006

Jinx
posted by Fat Guy at 6:57 PM on March 19, 2006

Yes, Fat Guy, you owe me a Coke!

The word "progeria" and the movie The Hunger will forever be linked in my mind.
posted by RoseovSharon at 7:03 PM on March 19, 2006

When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a rabbi's account of how he dealt with his questions about the existence of God after his son died of progeria. (I think that's an accurate description, I read the book a really long time ago. Also, it's non-fiction.)
posted by amro at 7:10 PM on March 19, 2006

I still remember watching The Three Wishes of Billy Grier when I was a kid: Ralph Macchio right after The Karate Kid playing an prematurely-aged kid in a made-for-TV weepy.
posted by tracicle at 8:06 PM on March 19, 2006

And instances in film and literature?

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - when the bad guy chooses poorly, drinks from the not-the-real-grail, and mummifies and blows away in like 15 seconds.

Does that count?
posted by attercoppe at 8:38 PM on March 19, 2006

instances in film
Lost Horizon
posted by tellurian at 10:47 PM on March 19, 2006

instances in film and literature
Assuming that plays count...
Kimberly Akimbo
posted by xetere at 9:22 AM on March 20, 2006