Annie Greenwood, age 15, of Dodge City, Kan., for her question:

WHAT IS GERIATRICS?

Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with old age and its diseases. Doctors who are involved in geriatrics diagnose and treat diseases of the aged. To do this, they must also understand the changes that take place in the body during middle age that may lead to diseases later in life.

One of the first geriatric clinics in the United States was established in Boston in 1940. Hospitals in many cities now have clinics for traating older persons.

The problems of aging have become increasingly important because more people are living to old age now. Scientists in several fields work with doctors to deal with geriatric problems. Biologists doing research in gerontology study body processes involved in aging. Psychologists study the role of an aging person in his changing world.

Medical schools today are expanding the study of problems in old age and are training doctors to deal with them.