Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-11

NJ. D. in New York Sunl
Having paid some attention to the sub
ject Of increasing and diminishing the
amount Of adipose tissue in the human
frame, perhaps | may be permitted to say
u word on the matter II is quite true
that certain kinds Of diet are more fat
forming than others, but it does not there
fore follow that person living on this
kind Of diet--say, for instance, buekwheat
cakes and Barbados sugar-will become
fat. In many cases which have come un-
der my own observation all attempts TO
increase the amount Of fat by means of
special diet (carbonaceous) have ended in
the person becoming bilious and suffering
from a congested liver and constipation.
On the other hand have known persons
fatten on bread and water. The late Mr..
Swain, of Philadelphia, for many years Of
his life ate nothing bat bread and molas-
ses, and yet he WIS a short, healthy-lOOk-
ing man. MIR. Mechi, the eminent Eng
! lish agriculturist according to his own
statement, can increase his weight mate
rally by merely taking an extra lump or
two of sugar in his tea. Another gentle
man became fat and ruddy-cheeked by
adding pint of ale to his midday repast.
! But these are exceptional cases. As a
general rule, ifa person in good health,
obtaining seven or eight hours sleep per
night and not overWorked, does not get
fat on mixed diet, he won't get fat at all,
and neither buckwheat cakes and Barba-
docs sugar, nor cod-liyer oil, nor any other
fat producer will fatten him. Sound
sleep is one Of the best fat producers that |
know of, and then it has the advantage of
increasing the general health and strength
at the same time Beware ofGltering your
diet for the mere purpose of putting on
more flesh. Results may follow that you
dream not of.
1t T. easier to reduce flesh than to in
crease IL, as q general rule But there may
be danger even hero. Many Of those obese
gentlemen who followed the Banting sys-
TEN, and tried to live on lean meat, very
little bread, and glass or two Of sherry
per day, found themselves with seriously
disordered kidneys, the result of highly
nitrogenous diet. They might have OBJ
tanned that looseness for which they sighed
/ and retained their health had they re-
duced the total quantity of food con
sumed and eaten less bread potatoes, and
starchy food, aud more turnips, cabbages
2 beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and
I other watery articles of diet, and taker
3 moro exercise and less sleep As a rule
fat people are large eaters. They will tel
8 you they are not. Don't believe them
Flesh and fat are not formed out of moth
ing. A stout youth of my acquaintance
told me that he ate "a mere nothing" anC
only slept four hours per diem. l founC
that he really ate as much at one meal a
/ could cat at three, took little or no exer
else, and slept nine or ten hours out Of tn
= twenty four. Laugh and grow fat is al
c old saying, but have not found fat peo
G pie, rs rule, hirthful, but, on the con
G trary, rather grave. ] mean the very fat
,fl not the merely plump. l have, too, mt
4 with fat people who were exceedingl
y nervous, though it is generally suppose
u that nervous people must necessarily
'e lean