Old Parr AKA Thomas Parr, one of the oldest living human in recorded history was born in 1483. One hundred
and thirty years later, in 1613, he could thresh grain with a hand
flail. His fame, however, did not grow to national proportion until
1635, when he was brought to the attention of Thomas Howard, Earl of
Arundel, who took him up to London so that the king might see him.
The rich food of the city so disagreed with him that he died of
indigestion soon after reaching London in the 152nd year of his life.
In his report on the autopsy of Thomas Parr, Dr William Harvey attributed
his death to the change from frugal diet of subrancid (very old) cheese, milk
in every form…coarse, hard bread (and sour whey) to the rich feeding he
received in London, and to the change from the healthful air of the
country to the foggy climate of the metropolis. He also dwelt on
the important fact that by his leading such a peasant’s life, free
from care owing to its simplicity it contributed to his very
advanced age; for, as the great Harvey pithily put it, “sorry fare,
but free from care.”
€¦..the autopsy; “the body was is such good condition in a man of 153
that the cartilages of the chest bones were not yet ossified.”
Harvey put it: “the cartilages were soft and flexible,” Black hair
on the forearms, and the organs apparently healthy. Probably the
fact that the testes, as Harvey say’s, “were sound and large,” had
something to do with it. He was also an affectionate husband, and
to quote Harvey again, “His wife told me that until twelve years ago
he never ceased to embrace her frequently:” that is, when he was 140
years old! He had taken on his last wife in his 120th year.”
You can find this story in Terence McLaughlin’s A diet of tripe.
About the Author...
Joanne Hay, Editor of Nourished Magazine, Chief Nourisher and Mother of three is very grateful to live in Byron Bay and be able to share all she has learned about Nourishment. She has trained as an Acupuncturist (unfinished), Kinesiologist (finished) and parent (never finished). She serves the Weston A Price Foundation as a chapter leader. She loves sauerkraut, kangaroo tail stew, home made ice cream, her husband Wes and her kids Isaiah, Brynn and Ronin (in no particular order…well maybe ice cream first).
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