The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-17
HOW TO CURE
CORPULENCE.
Obese Individuals Are in I'll Health to a
Certain Degree.
Judicious Dieting and Exercise a Certain
Remedy-Retention of Waste One of the
Causes-A Hot Water Cure.

HnYSlclanS VINO nave been c0Tpulent, and,
therefore, have had the most favorable OPP
portunties for study and experiment, have
all reached the same con illusions, namely,
that corpulency indicates a degree of i'll
bealh-DOt of excellent health, as many
people suppose. They also hold that one,
and very potential, cause of the abnormal
storage Of fat is lack a functional activity
in certain important organs of the body.
and particularly those concerned in freeing
the system Of waste products. In other
words, when the system is choked up with
waste, less fat is consumed therein, and its
accumulation is favored.
Corpulent people generally suffer from
thirst, and need large quantities of water to
satisfy it, says the Boston Herald. The
thirst is also the.most intense after eating
hearty meal. just what causes this symp-
tom is not clear, but it is quite safe to at
tribute it to a low form of irritation of the
stomach. As rule, also, these people in
slst that they are comparatively "small
eaters" whereas, as a matter of fact the
most of them have abnormally large appe-
tites, and eat more than others who are at
or near the standard weight. Again, very
many of them suffer more or less from dys-
pepSla, digestion being much less active
than normal The stomach of a healthy
person diSpoSeS of a hearty meal in the
curse of four or five hours, while that of
corpHent person does its work indolently
and occupies several hours longer Corpu-
lent people are also Singularly inclined to
biliousneSS, which Is not surprising consd-
eTIng the condition of the stomach. As a
rule. toe, there is sluggish intestinal action.
LEAN FOODS AS A DIET.
Inc popular method Of treating corpu-
leucy is by restricting the diet to foods
which are poor in fat and others which are
not convertible into fat within the system.
This leads TO a reduction in weight 1t also
lessons the work of the digestive organs,
and gives them chance TO rest and regain
their strength; moreover, it indirectly, if
not directly, favOrs all vital organs AS
soon as this effect is felt the discharge Of
waste products from the system is decidedly
freeT.
BY judicious dieting alone corpulent
person may reduce himself in weight, but
the loss IS almost always very slow indeed
after the first two or three weeks, and ere
long point is reached when further reduc-
ton IS impossible by this means unless he
half staryes himself" If, however. he ex-
erciSes freely as well as diets he can pull
himself down as much as he wishes; and
this fact supports the theory advanced
that cOrpulent people owe their overweight
to a choking up Of the syStem-for eXer-
else Is the one grand eliminator Of waste,
and does what dieting alone cannot do
Surprising coTpulent person TO be dieting
and losing quarter OF a pound In weight
daily. If, by the use OF little medicine, he
quckens the action Of his kidneys and bow
els, ana so increases the elimination Of the
waste, his reduction in weight will be much
more rapid.
Experiments made by the writer upon him
self will serve as an illustration. Ia trying
n oh ba of
that notwithstanding he was living upon tue
smallest possible quantity of food consistent
with strength, and lis diet was carefully
selected, he could not pull off more than
pound Of flesh per week. He then COM
menced taking two rhubarb pills and half a
pint Of hot water at bed lime, and on rising
a teaSpoOnful Of Carlsbad salts in a cupful
Of hot water. This treatment he persisted
IN for week. during which time reduc-
ton Of five pounds in weight was effected
without loss Of strength; and there was a
decided Improvement in the general health
and mental condition. By the means of it
the elimination OF waste was greatly in
creased; not only were the kidneys and
bowels made to do more work, but the liver
and digestive organs shared in the stimu-
latiOn.
A SIMPLE REMEDY.
In support Of the theory that retention of
waste is a potential cause Of corpulency it is
inStanced that one physician cured himself
by the Use OF hot water. While under treat
ment he was careful not to oyereat, and ex-
Guided from his diet some Of those foods
which are richest in fat-pToducing elements
but the dietetic restrictions were not at all
severe; so the credit must be given to the hot
water, gallon or more of which was drunk
daily. by this means the accumulated
waste was well washed out of the system,
and rapid reduction in weight took place
And what Is even more important, a per-
manent cure was effected. for when he
stopped the treatment and ate anything ana
everything he crayed there was no return of
the trouble.
1t is somewhat surprising that cold water
ana not water should dIfler SD radically in
effect upon eOrpuleut people. The former
certainly favOTs their complaint. 1t is we'll
known fact that beer is fattening, but il owes
such action almost entirely, if not absolutely,
TO the water. Here it is interesting TO note
the beer-drinking experiment of a German
physician. For four years he drank two
gallons of beer daily, and increased his
weight seyenty-eght pounds. On stopping
the beer be lost fourteen pounds in seven
days. In cOTpulent people the fattening eff
feet Of cold water is always greater if it is
INDUCED freely with the meals or shortly
after them. a probable explanation is that
by distending the stomach and diluting the
digestive fluids it retards digestion, which
process, as already said, is seldom, if ever,
as active as it ought TO be in coTpulent sub
jectS Hot water, on the other hand stimu-
ates digestion, and at the same time pro-
notes freer action Of the liver, kidneys
and bowels. Beyond this it fav0rs the
elimination of waste through the pores of
the skin. In the most of the treatises upon
cOrpulency it is advised that the quantity of
fluids of all kinds be reduced to the lowest
degree consistent with comfort. COrpulent
people influenced by this are quite apt TO
carry the restriction too far A certain
quantity of water is essential to life and
health, and if too great a denial is practised
injury Is sure 10 result.
NO FLUIDS BETWEEN MEALS.
A safe rule when trying to take off fat is
to drink at least half a pint Of water as hot
as possible in the morning on getting out Of
bed and another just before retiring at
night. This quantity, with what is taken
with the meals. viii he quite enough to meet
natures requirements. AS Tor fluids be-
tween meals very little of them will be
needed, If the diet is properly restricted and
the OverwoTked digestive organs are favored.
Just as soon as their burdens are lightened
they will grow stronger, and with the re-
hewal in strength the intense thirst will dis
appear. Weak tea, on account of the hot
water, Is recommended with the meals As
for wines, corpulent people are better off
without them; OF all kinds, probably good
claret is the least Objectionable.
The diet TO which eorpulent people usu-
ally restrict themselves is one which rather
fayorS slnggishness of the bowels; there
fore, a mild laxative Is generally needed at
least tor a time. Considering the dyspepsia
and bilious tendency which are so inti-
mately related to corpulency, the Carlsbad
salts suggests itself as a seTvceabe remedy.
The imported comes In small bottles. which
sell at retail for about 70 cents. One tea
spoonful in n glass OF hot water is quite
enough for dose, and it can safely be re-
peated every morning for several weeks.
Another Injunction, which appears quite
uniformly in works which treat Of c0rpu-
lency, is to employ cold baths. Undoubtedly
these favor a reduction in weight But few
c0Tpulent people, however, can take them,
either in the form of full baths or sponge
baths. Circulation in such people is notori-
ously sluggish, and they do not recover
quickly from the chill of a cold bath, as all
should do who indulge in it. LIZ cold is APP
piled and reaction occurs after hard rub