The National tribune., 1892-06-09
HEALTH HINTS
For Old and Young.
BY FELIX L. OSWALD. NJ. D.
CHAPTER CXLUI.
OBESITY CURFS.

| OBESITY CURES.
Obesity or excessive corpulence, is not al
ways symptom OF organic disease. There are
skin disorders that prevent vitiated bumors
from attacking the vital organs, and In a SINH
lar way the external accumulation of fat may
obviate the fatty degeneration of the heart aud
liver.
Nor is the tendency to fatten always an indi-
cation of Incidence. Great eaters and persons of
a phiegmatic temper are specially Liable to a
certain form Of obesity, but some of the most
active and abstemious individuals Of our race
have been afflicted with chronic corpuence.
Lord Byron was marvel of mental and phys-
cal energy, driven by ambition to restless
literary labors and passionately fond of athletic
exercise, and nevertheless obliged to starve
himself in order to countcract the much dreaded
tendency TO fatten He had not damaged his
body by strong drink" says his biographer,
Trelawney, "but he used to say that every
thing he swallowed was forthwith converted
into talow and deposited on his ribs. Yet
when he added to his weight his lameness
made even standing painful, so he resolved to
keep down to 11-stone Or shoot himself. He
wonld exist on biscuits and soda water for days
together, then, TO ailay the eternal hunger
gnawing at his gitals, he would make up c
horrid mess of cold potatoes rice fish, or green's
deluged in vinegar, and gobble it ZIP like
famiEhed dog"
have enabled him to attain the same end at a
cheaper price Hot-vapor baths followed by
cold spongirg or douches have marvellous eff
feet in stimulating the elimination of Gillette mat
ter, and there are forms OF exercise that will
counteract the accumulation Of fat without oblig-
ing the patient TO undergo excessive fatigue
rowing, for instance, or the operation OF
"rowing machine," that obviates the necessity
of keeping the convaiescent ON his logs all day,
and thus making the same set of muscles sup
port weight equivalent, in many cases, to
that imposed on an ordinary-sized man by
loading bn with two large sacks of corn.
And an anti-fat diet, If carefully selected,
need by no means involve the horrors OF
starvation
1.-The following articles of food" says the
manager OF model sanitarium, should be en-
tirely forbidden, on account of their tendency
to increase obesity: Putter. cream, fats of every
description rich sauces, pork, goose, duck, most
kinds of game pastry, dstes figs, ali kinds of
sweet and preserved fruits, nuts OF every sort,
and, in fact. nearly oil kind of starchy, fatty,
and saccbarine articles Of diet.
The following articles may be eaten ocea-
sionaliy, but spariugly: New or nnskimmed
milk, eggs, pntatoes, carrots, rice. buckwheat,
mutton and beefsteak.
AS rule, the articles IN the following list
should form almost exclusively the diet Of
person afflicted with obesity: All kinds OF
green vegetables suc1 az asparagus, cabbage,
green peas, beans. and spinach acid fruits,
snch az oranges, sour apples currants. OF
the grains. cracked wheat, graham -four, rye
ard oatmeal in moderate quantities. Meat
should always be eaten in moderation, the best
varieties being veni5oD, chicken, trout, aud
lean beef. wholly free from fat. Very moder
ate quantities of salt should be employed, and
in cooking, sugar and fat should be entirely
dispensed with. Tea coffee aud alcoholic
hoe era1ss faanepially baarl shonid no an irelv
interdicted.
"Whiie the amount of solid food should be
reduced, the fluid portion of the diet at least
If pure water be the only drink, may be in
creased TO any extent desired by the patient
fiat persons. being liable to proflse perspraton,
are naturally great water drinkers IN warm
weather.. 1t is even advisable TO urge upon
the patient the Importance OF drinking daily
considerable quantities OF pure water, prefer
atty cold, as warm drinks arc not to DO recon-
mended in this disease From 6 to 10, or even
more, glasses of water may be taken each day
with benefit, unless there IS a marked disturb
ance of digestion. The object of this measure
is 10 promote tssue-changes by increasing the
fiuidity Of the blood"
Obesity often follows the change from active
outdoor TO sedehtary occupations. am fye
feet and half high aud weigh 168 pounds"
writes one OF my correspondents. When IN
the war my weight was only 120 to 125
Iounds--a light, slim built soldier. After ry
return home, / followed book keeping, and
with little chance for active exercise soon be-
gan to latten up, though | never drank glass
of any Rind of liquor and am temperate in lea
and coffee"
My correspondent hints that his trouble may
be due to hereditary disposition, and should
devote at least two hours Of every fair weather
day to outdoor work, such as gardening or
amateur carpentering, besides regulating his
faf in nd bxx,n .,nl
rules.
His case is not an exceptional one, and has
close analogue in the experience of the First
Napoleon. During his earlier campaign, the
man OF destiny was not only lean, out skinny,
SO much So indeed, that his appearance once
became the means of qnelling an incipient riot.
AT the instance of the Directory, the plucky
young Gors;can officer one day went forth to
expostn late with mob trying to effect the re-
vival OF jacob;uiam. Never mind those Gov
ernment hireiinss," shouted big. fat vrago of
the QUARTER ST. Dennis; "they don't care n
straw If VIC starye as long as they can STUFF
their own CUTS and ,keepslsek and fat"
LocE here, my good woman" said Napo-
leon, will you kindly tell me which one of
two you think is the fsttes.2" A roar Of
laughter followed, and the mob scattered.
Ten years after Napoleon would have been
obliged to resort to different argumen. in aea;-
ing with bread-riot. He was never gintton,
but. compared with the time when he used to
dine on chickens wing aud on that fraii sup.
port managed ito fly through Europe like
storm Of blood and fire." his life in the Tlil-
leIies was luxury ITSELF and he fattened from
year to year. till the enforced inactivity OF st.
Helena at last affected his inuer organism, and
broke down constitution that had resisted the
fatigues OF so many wars. They told us he
was getting old and fat" said a Marine Ser
geant of the Northumberland when the ex- EN-
peror appeared on thsIquarter-deck, bat, -
him, the way he locks he has 90 good cam
paigns in his belly yet"
If American sDugglers had succeeded in lib
Grating the captive of LopgwOod the Ser |
gepnts diagnosis would very likely have proved |
correct. ] know another old soldier who got a |
job in metropolitan insurance Office, and !
added 10 pounds to his weight year after year !
TIL bis conversational abilities induced his en-
pioyers to put him on the road ii. e., set !
him to travelling about the country, soliciting |
patronage aud settling !osses after personal !
investigation of dubious cases. That sort of !
employment, involving constant travel and !
goed dea! Of pedestrian exercise, soon Turned |
him into lightweight passenger. and so added |
20 bis general eajoymsn! of health that he |
would now probably refuse to accept an excln-
siyeiy-indoer job Oh any terms
Communications sanitary questions VIII be |
answered w. t::as~ columns u ssnt to my stdrass IN
cPec of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE. Washington, D. (
CT. l.. OsWALh