Old Age in 18th-Century British Health Regimens

The text analyses eighteenth-century British health regimens and their views on aging and longevity. Grounded in the Galenic concept of the six non-naturals, these regimens emphasised prevention, moderation, and personal responsibility rather than medical cure. Old age was understood as a natural, inevitable condition characterised by bodily coldness and dryness, best managed through regulated diet, gentle exercise, sufficient sleep, emotional balance, and restrained passions. Moral conduct and medical advice were closely intertwined, and cheerfulness, temperance, and self-knowledge were presented as key virtues for a healthy and prolonged old age.