General practitioner’s perception of the elderly: historical analysis of the origins of this social category in the 18th century, in France ; Perception actuelle des personnes âgées par les médecins généralistes : analyse par le prisme de l’histoire des origines de cette catégorie sociale au XVIIIe siècle en France

The XVIIIth century is a turning point in the perception, recognition and care of the elderly. Up until that point, the elderly were deemed unproductive and were rejected if they did not work. However, their increasing number could not be ignored anymore. This century is a witness of emergence of old people recognizing, of old age recognizing. Even if we could be considered old until 50 years old, a second old age was not rare until 75 years old. Demographic analysis show a decline in mortality notably attributed to medicine progress, improvement of living conditions, nutrition and housing as well as more efficient health care and public health policies. In this context of increased life expectancy, the question of quality of life became central. Old age is not only a time before death and old men are not anymore old decrepit. Instead, the elderly become a respected pillar and symbol of family, with strong experience and wisdom. Beyond productivity, the elderly are seen for what they can bring to society. Today, general practitioners work increasingly with an ageing population. In the scope of this thesis, in-depth interviews were conducted with general practitioners to understand the different visions of elder patients and ageing population. The interviews allowed to explore the societal dimension of such visions and its impact on the practices and the objectives of cares of practitioners with the elderly. The main idea is that elderly are not defined only by the age. Indeed, the decline of brain fonctions and the loss of the quality of life are important to qualify old people. Often, even with an anticipation will, time is missing for generalist physicians to help their patients to well grow older. ; Le XVIII e siècle est le théâtre d’un tournant majeur dans la perception et la prise en charge des personnes âgées. Considérées jusqu’alors comme rebut si elles ne travaillaient plus, on ne peut plus nier leur importance numérique. Même si on pouvait être considéré comme vieux à partir de 50 ans, une deuxième ...