Jeanne Calment: the secret of longevity

Liberated from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329773795_Jeanne_Calment_the_secret_of_longevity on December 23rd, 2018. Abstract: Here, I challenge the validity of Jeanne Calment's universally accepted record of human lifespan. I assess the plausibility of the record based on the lifespans of other centenarians in the International Database of Longevity (IDL) and analyze and refute the arguments put forward by gerontologists in support of this record, such as the hereditary longevity of Jeanne's ancestors and her life-long residence in the center of a small town. I review the literature dedicated to this reportedly oldest documented human being and reveal multiple contradictions in her interviews, biographies, photos, and documents. I suggest an explanation of these discrepancies based on the hypothesis that Jeanne's daughter Yvonne acquired her mother's identity after her death in order to avoid paying inheritance tax and that Jeanne Calment's death was reported by her family as Yvonne's death in 1934. I discuss the importance of reconsidering the principles of validation due to the possibility of similar problems regarding other long-lived people. The phenomenon of Jeanne Calment could also be used as an example of the vulnerability of seemingly well-established facts.