Jean-Marie Robine1, Michel Allard2, François R Herrmann3, Bernard Jeune4. 1. French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Molecular Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases (MMDN) and Center for research in medicine, science, health, mental health, and society (CERMES 3), Montpellier and Paris, France. 2. Former Scientific Director of the IPSEN Foundation, Paris, France. 3. Division of geriatrics, Department of rehabilitation and geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Switzerland. 4. Danish Ageing Research Center and Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The 122 years and 164 days age claim of Jeanne Calment, the world oldest person who died in 1997, is the most thoroughly validated age claim. Recently the claim that families Calment and Billot organized a conspiracy concerning tax fraud based on identity fraud between mother and daughter gained international media attention. METHODS: Here, we reference the original components of the validation as well as additional documentation to address various claims of the conspiracy theory and provide evidence for why these claims are based on inaccurate facts or unrelated to the death of Yvonne Billot-Calment, the daughter of Jeanne Calment, in 1934. RESULTS: Also, countering the contention that the occurrence of a 122 year old person is statistically impossible, mathematical models are presented which also supports the hypothesis that though extremely rare, as would be expected for the oldest person ever, Jeanne Calment's age claim is plausible. CONCLUSIONS: In total, the quality of the investigation supporting the claim of conspiracy as well as the mathematical analysis aiming to back it do not reach the level expected for a scientific publication.
BACKGROUND: The 122 years and 164 days age claim of Jeanne Calment, the world oldest person who died in 1997, is the most thoroughly validated age claim. Recently the claim that families Calment and Billot organized a conspiracy concerning tax fraud based on identity fraud between mother and daughter gained international media attention. METHODS: Here, we reference the original components of the validation as well as additional documentation to address various claims of the conspiracy theory and provide evidence for why these claims are based on inaccurate facts or unrelated to the death of Yvonne Billot-Calment, the daughter of Jeanne Calment, in 1934. RESULTS: Also, countering the contention that the occurrence of a 122 year old person is statistically impossible, mathematical models are presented which also supports the hypothesis that though extremely rare, as would be expected for the oldest person ever, Jeanne Calment's age claim is plausible. CONCLUSIONS: In total, the quality of the investigation supporting the claim of conspiracy as well as the mathematical analysis aiming to back it do not reach the level expected for a scientific publication.