Some time ago a friend showed me an excerpt from the book,
"The Sun King," by Nancy Mitford (1966, Hamish Hamilton, London).
I recently examined the book and wanted to share the passage
below, in case others find it amusing/of interest.

Note that the book in question here has as subject the life and times
of Louis XIV of France (1638-1715). The quote below is from page 152,
with my explanatory remarks in brackets [*]:

"The King's first doctor was M. de L'Orme (1584-1678) who had attended
Louis XIII and was the fashionable doctor for fifty years. De L'Orme
swore by hygiene [note: not a ref to natural hygiene] and applied his
theories to himself, with the result that he lived to be ninety-four.
'Why do fish live to such a great age? Because', said he, 'they are
never
subjected to draughts.' So he spent his days in a sedan chair draped
with blankets and lined with hares' fur to ensure that no air could
percolate. When obliged to go out, he covered himself with a morocco
robe and mask and wore six pairs of stockings and several fur hats. He
always kept a bit of garlic in his mouth, incense [probably tree
resin]
in his ears and a stalk of rue [an herb] sticking out of each nostril.
He slept in a sort of brick oven, surrounded by hot water bottles, and
lived on sheep's tongue and syrup of greengages - he never touched
vegetables, raw fruit, jam or pastry. At eighty-seven he married a
young wife and wore her out; she died within the year. M de L'Orme
discovered the excellent properties of the waters at Bourbon, which he
made into a fashionable spa."

P.S.
The eccentric behavior (above) driven by dubious reasoning, makes one
wonder if the claims regarding longevity on various diets (raw foods,
macrobiotics, conventional veganism, other diets) are as dubious.

Tom Billings