The first 10 presidents - Facts can be fun

I thought I would take a look at those during a time in history that would have had access to much of what the average population would not. Who would this be? The so called elite or wealthy in my opinion would be a good choice to look at. The first ten presidents would surely fit this enquiry. I thought the first ten presidents of the United States would certainly have access to the best fresh food, live in at least better conditions as far as clean water availability and sanitary conditions, certainly always available medical care and have the least amount of hardships as in hard physical work. I thought it safe to believe that these first ten presidents would be at least as close to what most of us have available today as far as health and basic medical attention is concerned, good food etc.
Of course they would have obviously far less high tech medical care and certainly were not eating processed garbage for food.

It turns out that the first ten presidents; all born between 1732 and 1790 had lived an average of 77.4 years. Let’s be fair. Two of these presidents died of pneumonia at 67 and 68 respectively. With the basic medical care available today, it would be unlikely they would have died at these ages. One died of a stroke. One died of asthmatic suffication. One died of TB. Four apparently died of natural causes.

Note that most of what these first ten presidents died of. With the basic medical knowledge and emergency services available today, it's unlikely they all would have died of these medical problems. Think about it. How many people today die of TB or asthmatic suffication?

The average 77.4 years these first ten presidents lived is higher than the male life expectancy was ending in 2015  of 76.9 years.

Interesting - The male life expectancy in 1960 was 66.6 years. 

 

 

 

 

None of these presidents apparently died of heart disease, cancer or diabetes. They didn't know what alzheimers disease (AD)  was, now the 2nd  leading cause of death in the USA. 

Seven of these first ten presidents smoked.

Surely,  these presidents didn't know what low tar and nicotine tobacco was, or what a filter was. The average age of death for the seven that smoked was 78.7 years of age. Fortunately, the seven presidents that smoked did not have the modern medical world, the government and the world of big money anti-smoking activists and billion dollar cancer and heart societies telling them that they were going to shorten their lives or die of lung cancer if they smoked.

The average age of death for the three that did not smoke was 74.3 years of age.

Stress we’re told is dangerous and can be a major cause of heart failures. Who could have more stress than the first ten presidents dealing with the problems of that time?

The next presidents
The next ten presidents #11 through 20 (excluding one assassinated) all born between 1791 and 1831 lived part of their lives after the industrial age began. We now had the beginning of processed foods, the ability to can and preserve etc. Their average age to death was 64.5 years.  Is it safe to assume they had improved medical care at this time?

What all of the early presidents did not have that most Americans have today is a diet of processed garbage, and a prescription drug or medical proceedure for every occasion.

Just for fun - A few others that were likely eating real food and obviously living a prescription drug free life.

Plato died at age 84.  Thomas Reid died age 86 and Galileo lived to be 77.  Issac Newton lived to age 84 and all these famous figures died before 1900.

 

 

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