"We propose to talk today," WFB begins, "about the gloomiest subject in the

world this side of nuclear devastation. It is of course the cost of medical care and the aged." (One of the guests, Mr. Califano, was present at the creation: he did, as WFB puts it, "as much as anyone alive to give us Medicare and Medicaid.") And yet the tone of the show is not gloomy at all, partly because of Mr. Pifer's inherent cheerfulness, even when talking about "the year 2050, with ... 36 per cent of the population past the age of 65 and a median age of 53," and partly because of advances that have been made. JAC: "We've had a tremendous decline in this country in deaths from heart attacks, 25 per cent in 15 years." WFB: "Traceable to what?" JAC: "Thirty-three and a third per cent is traceable to change in diet, lowering cholesterol, one-quarter of the people quitting smoking. Only a tiny percentage is traceable to heart surgery, coronary by-pass."