Ellsworth American., 1867-02-15

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About Fat Folks and Lean
Folks.


sicek-headed men, and such rs sleep onights;
lohd CaSsius has lean and hungry ook;
lie thinks too much; such men are dangerous.
Shakespeare.
We Americans are not a fat People. Al
a general rule, we have reason to be NOR.
interested in learning how to c,in flesh
than how to lose it nevertheless there arc
corpulcnt people even among us, and some
may be desirous of learning what is know
OF the causes and cure Of obesity az well of
le,nness.
One OF the most corpulent persons ever
known was Mr.. Daniel Lambert, of Le;cs.
tersliire, England. who weighed five hun.
dred and twcniy-eight pounds
DIR. Calvin Edison, who was exhibited "a
the "livins skeleton" weighed only forte.
five pounds at the time of his death, w,icl,
took place in 1853. Dissection showed that
the thoraic duct, which conveyed the nut.
fiment Of food into the blood was obstruct.
cd.
CAUSES OF OBESITY.
The causes Of cofpulence are yariors.
The principals ones arc: |. Coustitutinu.,
prcdisposition. III. lndolcncc and avatbi
and III Farinaccous food.
l. In some persons the vital temperment
greatly prcdomi,ates. There is an cyccs.
sivc action of the nutritive function. The
digestion siff assimilation of food arc 81,
rapid and complete that the flesh and fat
forming principles are produced more ran.
idly than they are required to repair H..
natural waste Of the body. The result il
an undue deposit Of idipfSe matter-a fat
| ty congestion. as it We're, of all parts of the
body.
. The tcmpcfamcIltal conditions inst
described prcdispose to Incidence, a love nf
ease, and Il fondncss for sleep, all of which
if indalged. tend to corpulency by less.n.
ing the waste of the system, while permit
ting the restorative process to be carried
on with Increased eflitienc;;s.
s. CarnlvOrous animals never get fat
Lions, tigers, wolves. .ackals birds Of prey
cts, are always'lean. Iicrbivofous animal.
do not grow fat unless they feed upon far.
lnaccous substances, potatoes, or starchy
| and saf fcf'arffIe lratter III some form. Thp.t.
fatteii them rapidly. The same dicitc law
! applies to man.
MIR. BRtSTISG'S SYSTEM;
Mr.. Banting, whose case has created so
much talk III Europe. Is an EncIisbnan
who gained the bulk of FaIstaff bv living
chiefly on farnaceous food, and reduced
his weight l,y taking up meat diet. His
system, as 1t Is called, consists merely in
articles offood containing starch and sugar.
BRIIIAT sAvAR1S on OBESITY.
The principal which underlies Mr.. BAN
tlngs plan was announced more than forty
years ago by NJ. Briliat Savarin, author
of ''Physiologue du Gout," iii which fork
it may be found clearly set forth and
practically applied. He says:
1.-The anti corpnlency system is clearly
indicated hy the most common and the
most active cause OF corpulcncy and. ns
IT has been proved beyond dohbt that fatty.
substances are formed of farinaceous touI
III men as well as in animals, and' rs re.
gard the latter. we positively fattcn them
up for commercial purposes. We may come
to the dedaction, as an unchalcncable
tact, that "A more or less strict absiinence
from all farinaceous food Will tend to dim.
inish corpulcncy. He adds in ano,hc.
radishes artichokcs, clcrv; eat veal and
chicken IN preference to beef and mutton
sleep moderately take plenty of cxercis,
on feet or horseback.
We would give more prominence to cx-
ercise, and make it include the mrnd ns
well as the body. We would insist that
the patient no matter how healthy, should
! have some regular business whicl, would
give full employment to the mind and con.
stant exercise to the body. This, prcseycr-
ed III, would have a tendency to corrcs-
pOndingly dcpress the too great activity of
the vital functions, and thus to produce
modification of tie temperament.
A diet composed largely of meat will not
do tor all persons, and may prove very
I dangerous TO some in hot weather. Tho
ccrpuicnt who are disposed to try Mr. Ban
tings system should make the change from
their ordinary diet gradual. and watcE
carefully the symptoms produced.
CAUSE OF LEANNEss.
The causes Of extreme lcHrfntss NAV LS
arranged under three general heads /. A
constitutional predispositiom: IL. Diseased
conditions affecting digestion and assimil.
alton and Ill. A deficiency of the proper
kind of food,
]. y large predominance of the nervous
and mechanical or locomotive systems oS
the body over the vital prcdisposcs to lean
ness, by causing So great ar activity,
physical and mental as 10 use up the mat
erias of growth as fast or faster tl.au they
are supplied:
.. But majority of those who are re.
markably thin have become so through
actual disease. Tier .nutritive system is
disordered or weak; in other words they
are in some form and degree dyspcptic.
,. The third cal'sc need hardly have
been mentioned in this land of abhndamce
where the poorest seldom suffer for the
lack Of a sutiieiency Of good food: Thcrc
may, however, be bad choice Of food,
and u consequent failure to make the best
OF ones circumstances.
sbiLIAT sAEARiN OK LEANHEss.
The lcurned author of Physiologue dI
Gout," having asserted that lcanncss is no
disadvantage to men, directs all his attent-
ion to the fair sex, of whom, he says.
Beauty ir more than life and beauty con.
sists especially il the rounded limb and
tie graceful curve" There is no reason,
he adds. why Il woman WHO has good
stomach cai,yot be fattcled as well as n
fowl. lie recommends fresh bread. SOUPS,
rice, fresh eggs, biscuits. macaroni, sweet
pastry, farinaceous preparations gencrallt
that contain eggs and sugar !; beef, mutton
fish, chocolate, and eqje al lat tc6ifce with
plenty of milk.) He adds
avoid acids, except salads, which glad.