First published in the mid-eighteenth century, The Old Man's Guide to Health and Longer Life is a lifestyle guide to longevity and good health for old men. Written in an age when the majority of the population didn't live to see their 40th birthday, it provides practical advice on diet, exercise and lifestyle, including sleep and emotional health. Written by experienced physician John Hill, it provides an illuminating insight into the thinking on health and longevity in the mid-eighteenth century, and reveals surprising similarities with modern-day health advice. Some of the more prescriptive advice has the hysterical tone expected from eighteenth-century guides and manuals: ' - tho' vegetables may be thought innocent, there are many cases in which they prove hurtful' 'Carrots are to be avoided, for no old stomach can digest them' 'The pine-apple, the most pleasant of all fruit, is the most dangerous' 'Cold air chills the blood - this is the air at the tops of hills and such situations all old men should avoid' But more surprising is how full of genuinely good advice the book is, and how much of it reads like modern-day health literature.
'A warm bath and a glass of wine if you are having difficulty getting to sleep' 'Use medicines only as a last resort - address diet and lifestyle first to resolve illness' 'Quiet, good humour, and complacency of temper will prevent half the diseases of old people; and cure many of the others'