James F. Fries majored in philosophy as an undergrad, so it is no surprise that he was obsessed with how to lead a good life, even though his interest was more about physical than moral well-being.
The failure of success was what Dr. Fries and other scientists called it. The 20th century was marked by the rapid increase in life expectancy thanks to improvements in vaccinations and Sanitation.
The increase in life span did not mean an increase in healthspan, or the duration of one's life free from chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Fries was a data guy long before large data sets became a common tool in medical research. He was one of the first to create an international database of patients that tracked their health over time, an enormous effort that began in 1975 with a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Michael Joyner said that he was thinking about electronic health records and data mining in the 1970s. I wouldn't call him an early adopter. I would call him a pioneer.
The average life span of patients didn't change much, but the rates of morbidity, that is, affliction by chronic disease and disability, varied greatly between those who exercised and ate a healthy diet.
Exercise and a healthy diet don't help you live longer, but they can help you delay the start of disease until the end of your life, a phenomenon that Dr. Fries called "compression of morbidity."
He died at an assisted living home. Greg said that his father's death was attributed to end-stage dementia.
Dr. Fries spent the rest of his career trying to prove his compression of morbidity hypothesis using longitudinal studies of both large groups of people and natural experiments.
He practiced what he preached. He ran the mile and pole-vaulted in high school, and as an adult he ran 500 miles a year. He climbed the highest peaks on six continents, but had to turn back at Mount Everest when a snowstorm threatened his crew.
Dr. Fries had critics. He assumed that there was a limit to human beings' natural maximum life span, but some pushed back against that, others insisted that chronic disease was here to stay, and that lifestyle choices mattered little in the grand scheme of things.
He said he had the data to support his claims, and over time his core insight became a cornerstone of a new approach to healthy living, one that spilled out of the medical laboratory and into the pages of countless self-help books. The book "Take Care of Yourself" was written by Dr. Fries and has sold 20 million copies.
In 1992, his book, "Taking Care of Your Child", made headlines. The administration of President George Bush insisted that a chapter on contraception be removed from the distribution of copies to federal workers because it would offend some parents.
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Dr. Fries wrote a self-help book in 1979 with a colleague about healthy living out of the laboratory. It has sold 20 million copies.
Dr. Fries was careful to insist that the compression of morbidity was not inevitable, and he urged policymakers to develop tools to encourage healthy living and to make it easier for people to pursue interventions like s t
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Mark Rucker/ Transcendental Graphics, Jens Schwarz/laif, and Fred R. Conrad/ The New York Times are all pictured.
This year, many people died, including Hank Aaron, Colin Powell, Stephen Sondheim, Beverly Cleary, DMX, Larry King, and many others.
The philosopher recognized that staving off morbidity was a personal choice and that those who failed to follow his advice would have to live with the consequences.
He wrote in a paper that the inability to avoid personal consequences may become a problem for many. Enthusiasm may come from recognizing that the goal of a vigorous long life is doable.
James Franklin Fries was the son of Albert and Orpha Fries. His mother taught English and his father was a college professor. The family moved to Illinois and then to California, where Albert Fries taught at several institutions, including the University of Southern California.
Jim Fries married Sarah Tilden the year after he graduated from college with a degree in philosophy.
After their wedding, the Frieses drove to Baltimore, where Dr. Fries attended medical school. He joined the faculty after four years as a resident, and graduated in 1964.
His daughter died of breast cancer in 2005, the same year that his wife was diagnosed with melanoma. She was left disabled by the disease. Dr. Fries and her husband continued to travel extensively, taking cruises and walking tours around the world. He carried her across the bridge.
Mrs. Fries passed away in the year 2017. Along with his son, Dr. Fries is survived by his brother and five children.
After his wife died and he had a stroke, Dr. Fries retired. He moved to Colorado to be near his son.
