Smyrna times., 1884-05-14
Fat as a Cure of Obesity
cry truly,
Z. F. SWINNEY


To many people corpulence is so
serious an Inconvenience that the ap-
pearance in an English dress of DR..
Ebstein's much talked of treatise on
the cause and cure of obesity NAV re-
Vive hopes which the practical failure
OF other systems had almost quenched.
He knowns he is right, and is not
afraid to say so. Mr.. Banting's dietary.
though irksome, was not ascetic, but to
many patients it was so weakening
that for one who has been relieved by
1t dozen have experienced actual in
jury. 1t is easy to become thin by not
taking sufficient food to supply the
waste which is continually going on,
though in this case the cure is worse
than the disease. Prof. Ebstein scorns
all such treatment. He will have
nothing in the shape of starvation
remedies, because while we are starv-
ing we sacrifice albumen as well as fat,
and the loss of fat during famine causes
anemia, which demands compensation
in the shape of a more plentiful diet.
in itself likely to lead to a still greater
accumulation of the very substance of
which it is desired to get rid. Equally
useless and inadequate in his opinion
are the various drink cures. be thev
hot or cold. Prof. Ebstein agrees with
Mr.. Banting in advocating regimen
alone as the only safe cure for an in
convenience which most frequently re-
suits from too much food. But he
adopts dietary widely different from
that prescribed by Mr.. Banting, or.
rather, by DR.. Harvey, the practitioner
whose maxims that gentleman enlarg-
ed and made his own.
The crucial difference is on the dues-
tion of eating fat. Fat is the sheet
anchor of DIR. EDstein. So far from
making one fatter, it is able, by "com-
bining with the albuminous materials
and the carbohydrates" each in due
proportion, to operate effectively
against obesity, the removal of which
resolves itself rather into a question of
a permanent change of habits based on
physiological principles than of mere
cure IN the ordinary acceDtatiOn of the
term. No one need expect to become
thin IN few weeks, nor will a permanent
Improvement in figure be guaranteed
II the regimen is not adhered to for the
remainder of the patients life. Inani-
ton must be avoided, and the fat taken
to satisfy the cravings of appetite must
be OF unexceptiOnable quality. No
dyspeptic, we are assured, need fear
fat so long as he does not take too
much, and, indeed, so admirable is
that substance, long dreaded by deli
cate stomachs, that, by checking nitro
genous waste, it appeases thirst as well
as hunger, fact, in part at least,
known even by HippOcrates. Mr..
Banting permitted any fish. except
salmon; but DIR. Ebstein encourages
his patients to enjoy, Gin moderation.
of course" not only this dish, but pate
de tOt grds and similar delicacies. which
go far to reconcile the corpulent gour-
met to the exclusion of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate" are, indeed, his sole
detestatiOn. Sugar is tabOoed. as well
as sweets of all kinds, and potatoes in
every form he forbids unconditionallv.
Three to three and half ounces of
bread per day are permitted, and of
vegetables, asparagus, spinach, cab
bage, and the various legumes rich in
albumen are allowed. OF meats he
excludes none, and, it is needless to
add, that so far from wishing the fat
people to avoid the fat in the flesh, he
begs them to pick out all that they can
get. i permit" writes this liberal
minded opponent of the starving
doctors" bacon fat, fat roast pork
and mutton, kidney fat, and when no
other fat is at hand recommend mar
row to be added to the soups. allow
the sauces as well as the vegetables to
Do made juicy, as did Hippocrates,
only for his sesam oil | substitute but
ter" Fat IS his stronghold. On this
he depends, not as a medicament, but
as food; 1t has, in his opinion, been
much maligned article of diet. and
though he by no means recommends
the men of full body to consume a
third of what the German soldier is al
lowed in war time, he is convinced that
even with two to three and a half
ounces the patient need not eat more
than three-fifths Of the meat which is
requisite under Mr.. Banting's system.
His dietary, it may be remembered, is
calculated for the meridian Of Ham
over, and hence three meals-break-
fast, dinner, and supper-are allowed.
These answer fairly TO our breakfast.
lunch, and late dinner. On no condi-
ton must there be an afternoon tea, I"
or other "snacks between meals .
Alcoholic drinks are permitted to the
extent of two or three glasses Of light
wine at dinner, but beer is barred. un-
less, indeed, "the permitted carbo-
hydrates be correspondingly restrict
ed, though even then the ale
accepted as an equivalent must be ex-
tremely moderate in amount. The
diet of q cured patient was something
like the following: For breakfast a
large cup of black tea, without milk or
sugar, and two ounces Of bread. with
plenty Of butter, at 7.30 in Winter. or
at or $50 in Summer. For dinner,
between 2 and o'clock, soup, often
with marrow, four to six and a half
ounces of roast or boiled meat, vegeta-
bles in moderation, but no potatoes,
and almost no saccharine turnips.
After dinnel q little fresh fruit, or a
salad, or stewed fruit, without sugar,
with two or three glasses Of light wine,
followed by 3 large cup of black tea,
without milk or sugar Supper Of
black tea, iat roast meat, or eggs, or
fresh fish, and a little bread wen but
tered, with cheese and fresh fruit. form
al fhn aot, a ~ rt "a