The motto of Rutland, England is multum in parvo: Much in little. Rutland is England’s smallest county, 16.3 miles from north to south, home to quaint cottages, green hills, and the World Championship of Nurdling (competitors throw pennies into a narrow hole in a wooden bench).

As befits its motto, tiny Rutland has played an outsized role in two significant medical studies, both of which focus on life expectancy. The newest, from the University of Liverpool, compared lifespans in rural Rutland to…