Medicina Gerocomica: Or, The Galenic Art of Preserving Old Men s Healths, Explain'd in Twenty Chapters With an Appendix, concerning the Use of Oils and Unction, in some Diseases. And a Method, from a Florentine Physician, of Curing Convulsions and Epilepsies, by external Operation. - Sir John Floyer, Kt. of Lichfield, M.D. 1725 - Printed for J. Isted, London - Second Edition, corrected. To which is added, A Letter to the Honble Mr. Ch--- St--- Concerning the Regimen of the Health of the Younger Years and Adult, as Galen has describ&rsquo The present book is considered the first English work dedicated to geriatric medicine.

Floyer ‘begins his preface by saying that "
every man is a fool or becomes a physician, when he arrives at 40 or 50 years of age." Much of the book amounts to advocacy of a commonsense approach for preservation of the ageing body, with attention to fresh air, exercise, regular diet, and temperance in all things, especially alcohol and tobacco. When discussing the treatment of certain forms of ulceration he mentions that "rest and sleep and serenity of mind procure the sooner healing." He relaxes his spartan standards now that he is 74 himself and accepts that, instead of cold baths, hot water does sometimes have advantages.

Throughout his life Sir John had stressed the importance of physical exercise in promoting health. In
Medicina Gerocomica, after giving a long list of activities that he thought too strenuous for old men, he mentions that "these are gentle exercises, sailing, pruning trees, riding, bowling, billiards, nine-pins, fishing, walking." The old men that were able to follow his advice must have enjoyed their declining years.’ – D. D. Gibbs, extract from the British Medical Journal, 1969.
  Sir Jon Floyer (1649-1734) was a pioneer in taking pulse rates for diagnostic purposes, and published a work on the subject, The Physician’s Pulse Watch (1707-1710). He was also an advocate of wells and waters, and especially cold baths in the healing process.

References: Garrison Morton,
Medical Bibliography, 1595, 2029; Heirs of Hippocrates, 669. The Haskell F. Norman Library of Science and Medicine, 808. Pharmaceutical History and its Sources in the Wellcome Collections, III 34. Blake, 18th century printed books in the National Library of Medicine, 135, 149. Osler, Books Illustrating the History of Medicine and Science, 2616. D. D. Gibbs, British Medical Journal, 1969, I, 242-245.

Small octavo (book size 19.2x11.7cm), pp. [4] xviii [2 (The Contents)] 157 [1 (list of author’s manuscripts)][2]. In early possibly contemporary to 19th century binding of cloth spine and marbled paper boards, spine lettered in gilt, trimmed speckled edges.
  Condition: Very good, some loss to front endpapers, ownership inscription to title page the partial erasure of which has cause a hole but no loss of text, minor soiling and light foxing, tear to page 139, in very good boards with rubbing to edges and wear to corners and spine ends, spine toned.   Ref: 111392   Price: HK$ 8,000