Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-18
GETTING RID OF FAT.
By Exercising a Little Care One Can
Grow Lean Without Drugs.
OBESITY IS A SIGN OF DISEASE.
The System That Made bismarck So Thank
ful to His Physician.
ALL FLUIDS INCREASE THE WEIGHT
WRITTEN FOR THE p1srArcn.I

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.I
OF recent years corpulency has been made
a special branch of medical science. Ex-
cessive deposits of fat are now looked upon
as sign OF bodily weakness. Fat people
are seldom in good health and less often
comfortable.
In general terms obesity means an un-
usual deposit of fatty matter in the body.
As rule we find it under the skin between
the muscles and under the membranes in
side OF the body, chiefly between the intes-
tines The largest deposits of fat are
found In the thighs, the nape of the neck
and the skin of the abdomen. The condi-
hons on which corpulency depend are
many; heredity is undoubtedly one of the
most Important influences, as it is shown by
the prevalence Of corpulency in some
families. Above all, temperament has to
do with the accumulation of fat. Mentally
active persons of nervous disposition are
rarely overstout The easy-going, genial
individuals who take things as they come,
without worrying about the future, are the
ones who find themselves growing heavier
as the years go by
Now to the treatment. In IS cases out of
100 It is the easiest thing in the world to re-
move the fat The great difficulty is to
Keep the lat once removed from returning
again. In the home treatment for obesity,
l have found vt best to restrict the sufferer
as little as possible and to avoid a set diet,
for any great length of time. Fat people,
like horses of mettIe, are apt to champ at
the bit, when their customary mode OF liv-
ing is seriously intertered with. This more
than ANYTHING else, Prof Schwenninger
told me, was the secret of his success in the
case OF his treatment of Bismarck.
Must Stop Drinking Water.
A large amount of fat can be removed by
the observation of few simple rules. If
you are fat you will notice that you suffer
more from thirst than thinner persons of
your acquaintance, and that you consume
more fluids, particularly water, than they
do. This excessive drinking must be mod
Grated, and what is more, the amount can
be lessened with very little discomfort In
the first place tat people must learn to drink
slowly. Learn to sip fluids, and in less
than a week l am sure you will find that
your appetite for fluids will be appeased by
one-half the amount you usually take.
Thirst is located in the palate and not in
the stomach. Thus if water passes slowly
over the roof OF the mouth, a small quantity
will check the thirst as effectively as q lar
ger quantity gulped down. Tea drinking
women should learn by degrees to take less
OF that beverage and more gossip
l do not care to talk about the many
nostrums that are recommended to relieve
tat There are hundreds of them, for which |
all sorts of virtues are claimed I have |
never used any in my practice, and don't |
think will ever have occasion to do so.
Do Not Drink With Meals.
The following rule must be observed |
rigidly, and it is the only one upon which |
l lay particular stress: Never drink any,
thing an hour before, during meals or an
hour alter meals This, together with
moderate amount of muscular activity,
which may be secured by riding or walking,
will in itself relieve you OF much of the
superhuous fat Anything which causes a
lat person to puff and breathe rapidly helps
TO relieve him of some of his fat
1 must caution you against any form Of
treatment that consists solely of remedieS /
You will find that all noxious drugs taken by
1hose who are foolish enough to swallow
them, onlvinterGsre With the normal process
of nutrition and in hundreds of cases it is
directly responsible for incurable forms of
dyspepsia So it is with the stronger acids,
like vinegar and sulp huric acid.
There are three called systems of treat
ment Banting the one devised BY Erbstein,
and the Schwenninger. Banting may be
dismissed without any reference on account
of its futility. The Erbstein is q better
one, and the laws laid down by its inventor
are more sound. Erbstein allows his patients
three and quarter ounces of albumen, one
and one-half ounces of sugar and two and
two-thirds ounces of fat per day. He pre-
fers butter and lard to the other fats as they
are readily digested He also restricts
the drinking of fluids to the minimum
The Treatment of the Leaders.
Physicians acknowledge that the Schwen-
ninger cure is the most rational and success |
Jul. Those affected with some form of heart |
weakness are gradually given an increased |
amount of exercise, liberal amount of meat !
and a tonic consisting of any of the prepara- |
tions OF iron. That is all, for in these cases |
the fat must be slowly absorbed. For |
patients with sound hearts a rigid form of |
exercise in the form of long excursions is |
insisted upon, and the diet of lean meat |
very largely decreased 1t demands de- |
creased consumption of fluids and |
allows the patient some appreciable |
quantity of fluids with the ex-
Ception that none is to be taken during |
meals. Schwenninger and Oertel, who |
adopt this treatment are the acknowledged |
leaders in this branch of medical science.
The home treatment is what will interest |
YOU most. Ii your heart is in favorable |
condition for treatment, and it is advisable |
10 get doctors opinion on this point, this !
is the way to go about it: The first thing to |
do is to moderately reduce the amount Of
food taken, but in no case take less than you |
feel necessary TO sustain your strength
What May BE Eaten With Impunity.
Schwenninger refers to daily diet con- !
ssting of lean meat and fish, with not over !
one and one-half ounces of fat, iour ounces |
OF sugar and starchy material To this you |
NAV add IRON half to three-quarters of |
pound of ripe fruit, except grapes and figs. |
Vegetables like watercress, parsley, celery, |
cabbage kale, turnips and asparagus are the |
most desirable. / mention this to caution
you against the unrestricted use of potatoes,
rice and the other starchy vegetables
By all means be sparing in the use of |
fluids. If you cannot content yourself with |
a small quantity of liquid, satisfy your |
appetite with as small quantity as you can. |
You may take moderate amount of water, |
coffee and tea only, no malt and spirituous |
liquors, and as 1 said before they must not |
be taken ior an hour before, during meals
or for an hour after.
Add to this q slowly increasing amount
of exercise and am sure you will have the |
remedy that will decrease your weight; at
any rate if it does not it will surely keep |
you from increasing, and without the use of |
drugs.
Should all these measures fail, which is |