Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-10
As TO EATING.
Experiments Which Show That Over
eating IL Not Common.

ordinary Individual eats more thdh l.
Eeeessary-in fact. that the amount OF
food consumed is, as rule, caIcuialeu
to DO more harm than good "hiie
this belief Is To some extent warrant
ed. il has been by no means clearly
proved that the majority Of mankind
eats to excess, indeed it IS quite as
likely that the reverse is the case.
A series Of experiments has recently
b.en concluded under the auspices OF
the SHEFFIELD Scientific school of Yale,
70 determine the point 1s to whether
the average human b. iES does not eat
TOO much. Professor Russell II. Chit
tonden, the director Of the school, who
conducted the experiments, read
paper on the subject before the Ma
tional Academy Of Sciences at Wash
ington. on April 20. in which he stated
that, As result Of the investigations,
the conclusion had been reached that
the avrrag" healthy man eats from
two to three times as much as he needs
10 keep him in perfect physical health
and ViRor. The experiments were
made on three classes Of men, seEerd!
professors of the school, some students
and a squad Of United States soldiers
In nearly all the tests. meat was
gradually reduced, with little if any in
crease in starch and other foods. NO
fixed regimen was required in any
case the endedVor being 10 satisfy
the appetite of each subject. The ex-
perimcnts, which lasted a period or
from six months to nearly "A year, end
ed u short time ago, when. according
to Professor Chittenden. all his sub
jects were in the best Of health. Their
weight in some cases was almost eX-
ac,Iy the game as when the expert
nents were begun. and in some slightly
lower Their bodily vigor was great
or, and their strength was much great
or. partially owing to their regular
physical exercises during the expert
uents. and partially due. Professor
Chittendrn believes. to the smaller
amount Of food eaten. The daily con-
sumption Of food at III" close OF the
experiment.. was much less than the
recognized standard. and from third
to y half az much as the average man
eats.
II ia undoubtedly true that Overeat-
Ing Is dist inctly harmful to health.
Some hold that more persons are in
jured by overfceding than by overin-
diligence in alcoholic stimulants. Fur
th"r. the statement is incontrovertible
that a certain class Of the population
of the world eat in manner which is
decidedly prnjudicial to their physical
and mental Wellbcing. In the higher
or richer classes such an individual is
termed - Rourmand. while In the more
vulgar language of the working ella So
% the gross feeder is styled "A glutton.
Tn" ordinary healthy persons may
also cat in excess OF his real need, and
would probably do equally as well II
h" curb"d his appetite for food within
more stringcntly narrow limits. Such
instances. however. occur mainly
among thos" who can afford to eat
whatever they may desire. Thei,
number. hoWrV.r. is not SO larg" as
som" would have us believe. even III
tines, days of vauntch prosperity
Ovrrratius Ia principally prevalent
among that class who have the money
to Spend on - lt-indulgcncc. and who
frequently falI into the habit of literal
" rorgiug Themselves. The majority
of the inhahitdnts of the world who
can earn their bread by the sweat of
their brow cannot spare out of their
wages sufficient to enable them to
crafty their eating propensitics. but
are compelled to live frugally. Many
OF these do not consume enough nour-
iahlng food. ana it would be to their
physical and mental advantage IL they
partnck of NOR" generous diet.
Again. good cooking suitable food
al ~,
Just ~ important factors in tn.
pr, scrvattcu of the sound mind in the
sound body" as is the quantity or food
consumed Variety is the spice OF life
and without the saver Of change food
docs rot work tho good expected of il.
At tn" same tim". the diet should be
who'll, SOM. ana plain. and the canned
and preserved foods. which SCI
prominent features i'm the cuisine Of
modern civilization. should b" avoided
as Car 10 possible In the United
States aud in Great Britain the popula
tiou do not require to he warned 81
much against the i'll effects of over
eating ~ Against non-nutrtive and
dcl-tcrious food and bad cooking.
The com, lusions reached ny Profess
sor chitlrndrn are interesting. but
prove nothing definitely. II he is Of
the opinion that the deductions to be
drawn from the Investigations are that
the daily rations Of the average person
should he cut down, experience would
seem to be- against his point of view.
I'rdrrfed nations have never been in
the forcfron, ~ civilization. hut have
always have been the easy prey OF
obi ~