Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-27
A Chapter for Fat People.

Now, while granting that certain amount l of embonpoint is not only advantageous; but l a sign of good health and sound constitution | especially in people about 40 years of age, il | cannot be denied that too much adiposity | constitutes disease. and-there is no use mincing matters-often a serious one. Stout ness certainly does not conduce to long life Every one will admit that much, only stout people rest their minds-if, indeed, stout | people minds ever do need resting-by imagining that they will not always be fat, 1 that ''one of these days" and so on. But here must confess my belief that our faI friends are usually inclined to be apathetic l about their condition, and that, to 8 good many of them, 'one of these days" never does arrive in the sense they meant it to. l The disadvantages of obesity are numerous, l it's dangers to both health snd life are not a | few. One of the very least of the former is 1 the difficulty fat person has in getting about, | and in taking that amount of exercise with out which the body cannot long be maintained l in the only state which can with propriety be i called condition. Exercise alone will not reduce mans weight, though people usually believe so, but exercise will retard the ac- l. cumulation of fat.
 Adipose tissue is in those inclined to cor pulency, usually deposited not only under the skin-but in the spaces between the various muscles of the limbs, all round the heart and the kidneys, and in many other
 
 accumulation of fat on and around the mus cIes naturally prevents activity of motion but it does more and worse, for it throws 8 serious obstacles in the way of those muscles receiving due amount of nutrition they are therefore weakened and rendered fabby. And here let me point out fact to those of my readers who may mediate treating them selves for the reduction of obesity. You may sometimes hear an expression like the follow ing from stout man in the prime of ife:-
 'If could get rid of some 20 or p pounds of 'fesh'"-such people will persist in calling it fesh-"what I could dol" "Yes, my friend" should reply, ''and pray what could you do For if you were to get rid of nearly all the fat that is on you to-morrow or the day after, you would not be able to walk twice the length of your own garden for cold and fatigue. Your muscles are attenuated and fabby, and if deprived suddenly of their cushions of fat they would be of very little use indeed. That really is the truth, whether you like 1t or not"
 The deposition of fat round the kidneys or on the heart comes in time to interfere very seriously with the functions of those organs, and to engender diseases which ultimately lead to dropsy of fatal character. If the heart is prevented from acting as it ought to, the health cannot be long maintained. If it be a 1abby heart, the blood will be impov- erished, the person will have sallow look, and be more or less bloated in appearance. If the heart is enlarged or hypertrophied, we may expect much difficulty in breathing, especially if the patient attempts quick walk ing or hurried climbing of stairs, and per- haps frequent attacks of palpitation, with now and then swimming in the head, and a sensation of falling, even in dreams at night.
 The fat is sometimes not merely deposited on the heart, but among it's muscles, causing degeneration of the walls of that organ rem dering the sufferer quite unfit for any of the more active duties of life. The respiration of fat people is very much interfered with; indeed, one might say it is seldom or never carried on with complete feeling of com fort. Nor, on the other hand, is the diges- ton strong, nor the appetite either, unless excited by hot sauces or vinous stimulants.
 If we glance for moment or two at the most common causes of corpulency, we shall think, get hints as to the most ration al plan of treatment.
 Corpulency is often constitutional; but even if it be, that is no reason, remember, that it should not be kept within due bonds. A too easy mind, and @ sanguine manner of looking at the every day personal occurrences of life, is cause over which one has little, if any, control Success in life is wished for devoutly by all, but it often has the effect of rendering people, who are constitutionally inclined to be so, very corpulent. Well, people cannot be expected to manufacture small worries for themselves in order to keep within dne bounds corporeally, but they can avoid the pleasures of the table however well oil 1n the world they may be. Indulgence in beer, stout, and in wine and spirits has a tendency to increase the amount of fat so has the use of sugar. which experiments seem