Elongated Livers

When I was about 5 or 6 my mother had her old picture album out. One picture in particular held my attention it was a very old man with a long beard, his complexion was pasty white, and his eyes were closed. The caption underneath read, “A Dead Man.” I asked my mom what the heck was this all about. She explained that in the early times, they did that when someone died they took their picture, because they probably hadn’t had a picture taken for years. She said this was something they just did as a matter of course years ago.

This led to a discussion of how my relatives all were “Long Livers.” Now I know what she meant, but at 5 or 6 I just didn’t get how they knew my relatives had elongated livers. I figured maybe they cut them open after they were dead and discovered the “Long Liver.” You should probably explain what you say to a 5 year old, as it was years later I figured out what she meant. Probably scarred me for life….