Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-21
HOW Mucm po You wnIent
There Are Many Causes Which In
nucncc the Weight.

There Are Many Causes which In
hucncc the Weight.
Many people weigh themselves fire.
quently, and imagine that they know
their weight Sweet Illusion! Nothing
Is more difficult than to know ones
eight exactly, even with access to first
class scales. We hear one say: II am
making flesh. l have increased two
pounds; and another; Il am getting
Into form. ! weigh three pounds less" (;
but while l do not wish to make my
self disaErteable. especially to people
who keep account of their weight.
am convinced that in most OF such
cases there 10 really not an ounce Of
gain or loss; or II there ls any varla-
tlon, it is not what the scales record.
The ordinary methods for deter
mining variations in eight give abso-
lulely fnllaciOus results. The causes
which influence weight are numerous,
and rarely taken into consideration.
For example, was the weight taken
Immediately after breakfast or long
after2 Or following active exercise at
tended with free perspirOtion2
ones weight is like Il mobile eN-
pression-it changes every instant.
The study Of this matter e ncverthe-
less, of considerable physiological and
hygienic Importance fact Of which
| have become thoroughly convinced
in the course Of over ten years inYes-
tlgation Of the subject.
The inaccuracy OF ordinary balances,
such as one finds at railway stations,
determined me to make portable bal
nnce TO weigh pounds, and to be exact
to within an ounce, and since then
have weighed myself regularly every
day at the same hour In the morning
and under Identical conditions, and to-
day / possess a record Of i've years OF
experiments conducted with the ut
most precision from day TO day.
Every day when weighing myself ]
record the baromctric and hygrometric
variations, the temperature, and the
dinner menu for the day. These OK
periments have convinced me moro
than ever that our weight is in a per-
petual state Of tluctuation. After elm
mating the errors Of the instrument
our weight varies. subject to iunumer'
able influences. After breakfast. on a
warm day, one loses more than fifteen
grains an hour.
How then, are You to arrive at your
true weight when It IL subject to such
incessaut fluctuations? When we re-
member that 10 per cent Of our body Is
water there Is little ditheulty IN I'M
Outstanding that our weight must
vary continually with the tTanspira-
tion of moisture; moreover II varies
with the pressure Of the atmosphere,
The mere variations In atmospheric
humidity suffice TO account for Il
change of more than a pound and
other causes may suffice to account for
another pound.
Thc person who weighs only Mt inter-
walls may infer from this that he Is
growing lighter or heavier, but the
conclusion Is unwnrranted. There are
some people, on the other hand, who
will tell you that their weight never
changes This, too, Is an error; 1t is
continually nuctuating,
The fault Is generally that the scales
used do not record variations of a
pound or so. Tor ordinary purposes
this is Of no consequence, but for re-
cordlng changes Of weight In sickness
It is of very serious moment. The
scales are not without their Importance
in medical practice, especially with In
fants.
The weight Of an infant increases
in definite proportion during the first