Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-09-29
A "Slight inclination " to Embonpoint.

must confess that l hesitated 70
some little time over the title of m,
present article. Several names sue
gested themselves, and reviewed then
in my mind one by one. "Corpulency'
is too broad word; besides, a person
may be corpulent, properly speaking
without being fat. '.Obesity'' Is better
but the Latin Obesus means gross, etc.
as well as fat, so Obesity" does no
sound polite. As there really Is, a
times, something in name, hav,
taken refuge in French embonpoint
The word is a pretty one, not to say
musical. 1t often implies compli
ment, it never could give offense, for {
certain amount of emb0npoint is rather
to be desired, either in person or-ol
in partridge. II
There are also some advantages in
separable from the condition under dis
cussion. Well, to begin with, l dare
say appearances 60 for something in
this world; curves are more pleasant tc
the eye than angles are; and unless q
man be in tirst-class muscular form, he
looks all the more presentable if slightly
inclined to embonpoint.
Now, while granting that a certain
amount OF em6onp0int is not only adj
vantageous, but.a sign of good health
and sound constitution, especially in
people about forty years of age, it can
not be denied that too much adiposity
constitutes disease, and-there is no
use in mincing matters-oiten very
serious one.
Stoutness certainly does not conduce
to long life. Livery one will admit that
much, only stout people rest their minds
IL, indeed, stout peoples minds ever
do need resting-by imagining that
they will not always be fat, that 90 one
OF these days." and so on. But here
must confess my belief that our fat
friends are usually inclined to be apa-
thetic about their condition, and that.
to good many of them zone of these
days" never does arrive in the sense
they meant it to.
The disadvantages of obesity are
numerous, its dangers to both health
and life not a few. One of the very
least OF the former is the difficulty a
fat person has in getting about, and in
taking that amount of exercise without
which the body can not long be main
tanned in the only state which can with
Propriety be called condition. Exer-
else alone will not reduce a mans
weight, though people usually believe
80, but exercise will retard the accumu-
laton of fat.
aupose tissue is, in those inclined to
corpulency, uually deposited not only
under the skin-it would he well. in
deed, 1t this. were ail-but in the spaces
between the various muscles of the
l'mbs, all round the heart and the kid
1eys, and in many other vital positions
hat need not be named
The accumulation of fat on and
sround the muscles naturally prevents
activity of motion; but 1T does more and
worse, for it throws serious obstacle
n the way OF those muscles receiving a
iue am unit of nutritious; they are
therefore weakened, and rendered fab
)y. And here LET me point out fact
% those of my readers who may medi-
ate treating themselves for the redUc-
ion of obesity. You may sometimes
rear an expression like the following
rom a. stout man in the prime of life:
IF q could get rid Of some twenty
n Twenty-Five pounds of fesh-such
people will persist ia calling it flesh
what | r.ou,d dol"
I" Yer my FRIEND" l should reply.
ano pray what could you dop For If
,o' were to get rid of nearly all the fat
lat is on you tomorrow or the day
after, you would not be able to walk
twice the length of your own garden for
cold and fat que. Your muscles are at
tenuated and flabby, 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 it
or not
The deposition of fat round the kid
neys or on the heart comes in time to
interfere very seriously with the func-
tions of those organs, and to engender
diseases which ultimately lead to drop
sy of fatal character. If the heart is
prevented from acting as it ought to,
the health can not be long maintained.
If it be flabby heart, the blood will be
impoverished, the person will have a
sallow look, and be more or less
bloated in appearance. If the heart is
enlarged or hypertrophied, we may ex-
pect much difficulty in breathing, es-
pecially if the patient attempts quick
walking or hurried climbing of stairs,
and perhaps frequent attacks Of palpi-
alton, with now and then swimming in
the head, and sensation of falling,
even in dreams at night.
The fat is sometimes not merely de-
posted on the heart, but among its
muscles, causing degeneration of the
walls of that organ, rendering the suf-
ferer quite unfit for any Of the more
active duties of life.
The respiration of fat people is very
much interfered with indeed, one