From monkey brains to young boys' blood - the different ways people have tried to stay young forever

When an eccentric Monaghan inventor announced he’d found the secret of immortality, undertakers and gravediggers were not amused, writes Robert Hume.

The first documented blood transfusion. On 15 June 1667, the French doctor Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to King Louis XIV, gave sheep's blood to a fifteen year-old boy. Miraculously he survived (history.info)

The search for the elixir of eternal youth has deep roots. In Ancient Egypt, Queen Cleopatra tried to stay looking young by bathing in sour donkeys’ milk and honey. Chinese Emperor Jiajing drank mercury, sulphur and arsenic – it killed him. In 16th-century Hungary, Countess Elizabeth Báthory swore that cleansing herself in the blood of freshly butchered virgins gave her skin a smoother appearance.

Today, age-defying Jennifer Lopez (52) attributes her youthful looks to avoiding the sun and "being kind to other women"; while fashion designer Vera Wang (73), whose fans claim "never ages", reveals her secret is sleep... and vodka cocktails.  Attempting to push back the years is one thing.