The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-11-10
AS TO EATING.
Experiments Which show That Over
 eating Is Not Common.


 Which Show That Over
 eating Is Not Common.
 It is generally believed that the or dinary individual eats more than is necessary-in fact, that the amount of food consumed is, as rule. calculated 10 do more harm than good. While this belief is to some extent warranted it has been by no means clearly proved that the majority of mankind eat to ex- cess; indeed it is quite as likely that the reverse is the case.
 A series of experiments has recently been concluded under the auspices of the Sheffield Scientific school of Yale to determine the point as to whether the average human being does not eat too much. Professor Russel H. Chlttenden the director of the school, who con- ducted the experiments, read a paper on the subject before the National Academy of Sciences at Washington, on April 20 in which he stated that. as result of the Investigations, the conclusions had been reached that the average healthy man eats from two to three times as much as he needs to keep him in perfect physical health and vigor. The experiments were made on three classes of men, several professors of the school, some students, and squad of United States soldiers. Tn nearly all the tests, meat was gradu- ally reduced, with little if any increase In starch and other foods. No fixed regimen was required in any case, the endeavor being to satisfy the appetite of each subject The experiments, which lasted a period of from six months to nearly a year, ended a short time ago, when, according to Professor Chittenden, all his subjects were in the best of health. Their weight in some cases was almost exactly the same as when the experiments were. begun, and in some slightly lower. Their bodily vigor was greater, and their strength was much greater, partially owing to their regular physical exercises during the experiments, and partially due, Professor Chittenden believes, to the smaller amount of food eaten. The daily consumption of food at the close of the experiments was much less than the recognized standard, and from a third to half as much as the average man eats.
 It is undoubtedly true that oyereat- ling is distinctly harmful to health. Some hold that more persons are in- jured by overfeeding than by oyerin- dulgence in alcoholic stimulants. Fur ther, the statement is incontrovertible that certain class of the population of the world eat in manner which lis decidedly prejudicial to their physi- lcal and mental we'll l-being. In the higher or richer classes such an indi- yidual is termed a gourmand, while | in the more vulgar language of the working classes the gross feeder is styled a glutton. The ordinary healthy person may also eat in excess of his real need, and would probably do equal. ly as we'll if he cnrbed his appetite for food within more stringently nar- TOW limits. Such instances, however occur mainly aaoilg those who can af- ford to eat whatever they may desire Their number, however, is not so large las some would have us believe, even I in these days of vaunted prosperity overeating is principally prevalent Eamong that class who have the money 1 to spend on self-indulgence and wft frequently fall into the habit of lite. k