The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-19
roo MUCH FLESH.
A Question Which Troobies the Fat World.
What Doctors SAY.

hygiene has occupied 80 much attention
from laymen or laywomen as the ques-
ton how to avoid growing fat. Doctors,
we think, as a rule take little interest in
il as long rs it does not result in some
form of illness. About the inconyeu-
fence of being fat. there is generally lit
tie use in consulting them. Until within
about twenty-five years the fat people, if
we may use the expression, tie down
under their fat. Theopinion that fat
ness was irremediable was in fact widely
diffused. Mrs. Fanny kemble used To
say, in her grand manner. that "when
there was n constitutional tendency TO
fat, no oiet, nor exercise, nor sorrow
would avail.
Since she took this view, however. a
great change has come over what we
may call the fat world. Fat people re-
fuse any longer to accept their fatness as
hopeless. They deny that any portion Of
the human family has been set apart by
Nature as the prey Of obesity. This
great awakening was due in a large de-
gree to the celebrated Banting. AN I'M
mensely fat man, who, by greatly re-
ducing his weight by combining himself
to nitrogenous food, filled all fat people
with the anticipation Of a better day.
Tens Of thousands followed his example.
and cut down their size immensely. I'm
fortunately he died very soon after he
became lean, and panic spread through
his followers. Distrlst about the effect
of his system on the general health be
gan to gain ground. Many people suf-
fered severely in strength and spirits by
following his regimen too strictly, and it
| fell into more or less discredit. II would
now be as hard TO find an original out
and out disciple of Banting as Of Press
nitz, the hydropathst, or of Hahnemann,
the homeopathic. But many still fol
low him in a slight degree, by eschewing
butter, eating but little bread and pota-
toes and sticking steadily to lean meat.
If his teachings and example had had
no effect at all, however, 1t would have
proved that the fat people were less en-
terprising and energetic than other civil
lied men in our day ever are. They re
fused to consider Banting's failure as
final. They declined TO accept the doc
tors advice 10 ''let well enough alone.
They continued their demand that obes-
ity should he treated as disease, and
a cure found for it. Accordingly every
few years a new fat doctor appears on
tn. scene, and the quacks I'll up the in
tervals with the sale Of more or less
deadly specifics. No great progress was
made, however, until Bismarck became
dissatisfied with his fat, and called for "a
physician who could relieve him Of It.
This physician appeared IN The person of
a certain Or. Schweniger, who cut down
the chancellor's weight to such an extent
that he had him nominated 20 q prOfes-
sorship in the faculty Of medicine IN the
Berlin university, and insisted GA his APP
pointment IN the teeth Of the opposition
Of the other doctors, who had eitherregcr
heard Of Schwenigcr before, or heard
what was bad. To The argument that
he had won no distinction in the profess
sion, the answer was that hc had taken
fifty or sixty pounds of the princes
huge frame Schweniger accordingly
rapidly BECAME an authority on fa.ness.
and the pamphlet containing Dis system
, is sold by tens of thousands.
The wei known Dr.. Yeo Of London,
discusses this system i'm The Nineteenth
Century. II ought 10 b. said ca PEASANT
that Schwenigers cure is claimed also rs
Professor Oertel, of Munich, who says
lie discovered it, but thi5ayails him little,
because he did not treat the chancellor.
Schweniger maintains that the chief
cause al fat among men. a among ami
mails. Is eating too much. no matter of
what, and drinking too much even OF
water, az ones meals bat especially OF
wine, beer and spirits. Tho central
principle Of this system is, that unless
YOU live by muscular toll you must cut
down the quantity you cat, aud must
drink but little, If any, with your meals.
OF course he has minor rules, and makes
distinctions between different articles of
food, but TO him quantity IS the great
enemy of the obese. After him comes
certain Ebstein who also has his system,
which differs from both Baniing's and
Schweniger's, but all three agree that 70
be lean YOU must greatly reduce your
consumption Of the carlo hydvalcs or
starchy things.
Germany is he country where the
most vigorous fight with fat Is carried
on, and where fat cures excite most in
terest, owing, i. is said. TO the great
prevalence Of obesity, a result in part OF
the consumption Of beer, and in part
doubtless, Of the frequency and hearti-
ness Of the meals Accordingly the num-
Der Of people who go to the various baths
for simple corpulency IS very large.
Oertel makes provision for this class by
prescribing carefully graded walks, Ia
which the ascent will stimulate tho
hearts action and strengthen IL.
All the masters agree that it IS mainly
through its effect on the heart that fat
becomes dangerous If you surround
your heart thickly with TAT you impede
its working, and it gradually grows
weaker, and then. some fine day, when
you have put little more fst on &c and
call on it for extra excrlion, it stops short
and down you go. Fat does not greatly
trouble the young and active in any
country. IL is when, in middle life, OK
ercise begins to be distasicfui, but the
appetite remains as good a. ever, that II
F Gomez ON peopio like a lfpopy man armed