Ohon 5 June 1983 An observer it took readers on a quick run around the health industry. ‘Life can be cruel and cruel,’ wrote Dr Richard Smith, bald, imagining the scenario where a man ‘could walk away from his annual check-up happy with his good health… and drop a stone to death.’
Health educators were already talking about ‘what a pleasure and a pleasure it is to be disease-free’, Smith said, while healthy lifestyle choices – quitting smoking, drinking less and ‘intentional exercise’ – were popular ideas on page eight. good advice.
Four fictional health issues are a delicious time capsule of 80s mores. There is the great doctor Duncan, whose dishes are ‘coq au vin or beef stroganoff’ and the great Jeffrey (who is in the picture looking good in his golf pants), who flies the ‘management team’ and enjoys ‘business on A couple of Scotches’, but he chooses a salad. in the directors’ dining room. The rich widowed watcher Joyce can still ‘play Jean Muir 8’ and the profile of the graphic designer Jo is written by a yellow Anglepoise lamp in her office. He relaxes with the last of his cigarette and a strong G&T at home before ‘passing out’ (perhaps a little faintly still). All four need to up their health game, the report concluded, showing a positive outlook for chest infections, osteoporosis and addiction.
We may have ditched the fags and started flirting with Dry January, but the image of conflicting health messages, worrying fears about the health and beauty of living in a ‘poor, selfish world’ still lingers. There is no objection, though, to the idea that ‘Pain, disease and death are a part of being human… to endure them is undoubtedly healthy.’
