Ailments
In good health
The main condition necessary to embark on the journey was to be in an excellent state of health. Without a body in perfect shape it was risky to travel. The long distances and times required to make the Grand Tour implied a capacity to withstand abrupt changes in climate, a good immune system able to fight off contagion by the more common diseases and cope with the far from ideal hygienic conditions, a high tolerance of discomfort (given that neither the best of carriages nor the inns, which were not always up to the task, could guarantee a good rest), a strong stomach capable of handling a variety of food and a degree of agility, as it was common for the horses to take fright or for the conditions of the road to make it necessary to get out and continue on foot (Astengo, 1992).
The most common ailments and their remedies
But even being in perfect shape could not prevent the motion sickness caused by the rocking of the carriage, nor sunstroke, which frequently afflicted those who traveled on foot or by horse, nor insect bites, nor the repeated poisoning that resulted from meals made with spoiled meat, butter kept in tin containers and wine adulterated with lead oxide, all fairly frequently served up by innkeepers. These were the most common ailments. The remedies were varied. In the case of sunstroke, for example, the sufferer (after the inevitable bleeding) had to drink large quantities of lemon juice and bathe the head with cloths steeped in verbena or lettuce juice, and then move on to laxatives made from infusions of tamarind. Finally great moderation in food and drink was advised, along with a diet based on bread, eggs and fruit that avoided sauces, gravies, salted meat and confectionery. For falls from horseback an 18th-century guidebook advised the victim to «drink cool water at once, and immediately afterward mix a dram of betony into an egg and swallow it, in order to preserve the inner parts from any harm, so long as nothing has been broken, in which case a decoction of the herb called milfoil, or with flowers of St. John's wort, taken morning and evening, will have wonderful effects» (Astengo, 1992).