# Getting old today vs. 150 or 200 years ago

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-old-today-vs-150-or-200-years-ago/1033653>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 7, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-old-today-vs-150-or-200-years-ago/1033653 "2026-10-07T16:46:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-old-today-vs-150-or-200-years-ago/1033653/21 "2026-10-08T18:22:30Z")

</div>

> [@Kent\_Clark](#):
>
> My grandfather had a heart attack when he was in his 60s, and spent weeks in a hospital. He lived another 20 years, but was totally disabled. With a heart valve replacement or a bypass he might not have lived any longer, but he sure as hell would have had a better life.

My father got a blood clot in his leg in 1962, while we were living in the Congo. He was in charge fixing the hotel that got converted into the hospital, which was run by the Indian Army, so they owed him and he got his own floor. Still he was there for a few months. 47 years later he got another one. They put in stents and he was out of the hospital at age 92 in two days.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-old-today-vs-150-or-200-years-ago/1033653.md?page=1)