The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-04-08
Consolation for the Corpulent.

Mr.. William Banting, of No. 27 st. James
street, Piccadily, London, is philanthroplst,
and having been relieved of the curse of cor
pulencv, he has published pamphlet, which
he has scattered broadcast over ut least three
continents, for the relief of gentlemen who
'slard the lean earth" as they waddle along.
Five editions Of this pamphlet have been dis
tributed ae a nominal price, and one Of them
has reached us.
Two years ago Mr.. Banting, who was then
sixty-three years of age, weighed two hundred
and two pounds. AS he is o1ly five feet four
inches in height, his obesity was excessively
annoying. He could not stoop to tie his shoes;
in attempting to pull on pair of boots he
nearly killed himself, and in going down stairs
he had to descend backwards to save the jar
of increased weight upon the ankle andsnee
joints.'' To cast of his load OF superduous fat
lie resorted to all the usual remedies for corpu-
iency. He walked each day until he sank from
exhaustion like an over-driven prize pig. He
boiled himself in Turkish baths until he was
almost fit to be distributed by the Freedmen's
Bcreau as soup for lazy black suffragans. He
bought boat and rowed up and down the
Thames until he roared like broken-winded
horse. But violent exercise gave him an
enormous appetite, and he became moro and
pickles and swallowed gallons of physic. but
with no relief. He still continued to fatten
as if he was to compete with the fat cattle OF
Devonshire for prize.
He at last arrived at the conclusion that
corpulence was the result of that most common
habit Of all highly civilized men-the consump-
ton of articles Of food containing so large an
amount of saccharine matter. He abstalned
from the two frequent use OF bread, butter,
milk, sugar, beer, potatoes, and all other arti-
cles of food abounding in saccharine matter,
and in twelve months redxced his weight from
two hundred and two to one hundred and fifty
six pounds. The loss of flesh WIS gradual
(about pound week), and was attended
with no unpleasant effects. He retained his
mental and muscular vi2or unimpalred, and
feels younger than he has done for thirty
wears. Hundreds of other fat Engishmen
have, Mr.. Banting states, read his pamphlet:
and cast off their load of fat as Christian did
the burden of his sins at the end of pilgrim g
Progress"
In changing his diet he still managed to live
almost luxur1ously, although avoiding the artl-
cles of food already enumerated. He consum-
ed for breakfast usually FIVE ounces of beef.
mutton or cold fowl, brolled fish, a large cup Of
strono tea without milk or sugar), and only
an ounce of dry toast. at dinner he eat five
ounces Of fresh fish, no meat except pork,
poultry or game, any vegetable except! pota-
toes fruit and three glasses Of claret or sherry.
For supper bun, four ounces OF meat, and
two glasses Of claret. It will thus be seen that
corpulent men can get rid of their superhuous
flesh and still live generously. We have
abridged Mr.. Banting's receipt for getting
lean; but if any Of our lean men desire to wax
exceedingly fat, they have only to devour large
quantities Of the articles Of diet which produce
obesity.