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Tonic water contains quinine (from 'Peruvian bark') which was used to treat 'ague' (any kind of fever with a chill). This was prescribed to George III in order to combat his fevers.

Mint was commonly used to aid digestion. Queen Charlotte was given mint water in 1737 as part of an unsuccessful attemt to treat her umbilical hernia. 

Although not used medicinally, gin was drunk widely in Georgian England and cirrhosis of the liver was a common illness, referred to as 'gin-drinker's liver'. In a time of gin house mania and illegal booze, gin was made and sold everywhere from prisons to workhouses to hospitals. 

Lemons, meanwhile, were used to prevent scurvy. 

In the Georgian period this cocktail might have been called a nostrum - a 'cure-all' concoction created by apothecaries and other enterprising businessmen and women. Nostrums were medicines of secret composition recommended by the preparer. They were, however, of questionable medical benefit.