Gompertz - A program for evaluation and comparison of survival curves.

Principles, properties and use of a program for evaluation of survival curves are described. Parameters of Gompertzian mortality curves are computed from survival data of two populations by help of nonlinear regression. The differences in parameters of both curves are evaluated statistically. This method evaluates effectively even survival data of very small populations. The results are presented in numeric, verbal and graphic forms. Finally, reading of the results is offered to distinguish changes corresponding to altered aging rate from changes caused by influences not affecting the basic mechanism of aging. Program GOMPERTZ in the form of Microsoft Excel workbook equipped with Visual Basic procedures is offered free through e-mail (klemera@faf.cuni.cz).