The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-13
DANGERS OF DIETING
UNDeRFEEDlNG LIABLE TO WEAKEN
HEARTS ACTION.
Usually Appetite Is Measure of
Health, and the First Sign of Ill
ness In "A Man or an Animal Is Loss
of the Desire For Food.

ness In n Man or an Animal Is Loss
of the Desire For Food.
Professor Alexander Haig. an Eng
lish dietary expert, has written from
London to the medical fraternity of
New York warning Americans against
the popular belief that the average
man eats too much. He says that the
increasing number of deaths from heart
failure is largely due to underfeeding.
The notion that science is a more
unerring guide than is nature is con-
stantly gaining ground. In the good
old days men drank when they were
thirsty and ate of whatever they wished
until their hunger was satisfied. Now
science condemns such fOolishneSs as
primitive. 1t preScrbes one glass Of
water one hour before meals and one
glass one hour after mealS-nO more,
no less. If you happen not to be thirsty
at those times, no matter, drink that
amount anyway. If perchance you are
thirsty and would like two glasses you
must not yield; it is only nature that
prompts you, and nature is an unsafe
guide. Or, you may be "abnormally"
thirsty at meals; nevertheless do not
drink then.
AS to our amount Of food, we are
directed to consume so many grams
of the proteids. so many grams of the
carbohydrates and so many grams of
fat, while we hear learned discourses
upon large Galleries and the supreme
Importance of exactly maintaining our
nitrogen baiGnce-whatever that NAV
mean.
l have purposely not mentioned the
precise numbers of grams of the differ
ent food elements, for the simple rea-
son that our eminent authorities have
not yet agreed upon this important
point. All give different figures.
Scientists. however, following the
lead of Russell II. Chttenden, Phi D.,
Ii. D., Sc. D, have pretty we'll agreed
that the average man eats twice more
than he needs. If half his customary
amount of food does not satisfy him
it ought to, they say, and it will even
tually, provided he keeps on suppress
ing his natural and therefore unscien-
tiflc instincts.
But just here lies a danger 1t is
II uC thdL o1S dtCuSlOlll DIHSpll 10
a much smaller quantity of food than
that to which he has been habituated
and that eventually he will desire that
smaller quantity and no more, but
when he attains to this condition his
digestive power will have been re
duced by One-half. AS a result he will
lose from ten to thirty pounds in
weight; that IS to say, his muscles and
organs will decrease by so much III
bulk and strength. Now, if the heart
decreases considerably in strength
there will always be danger Of its col
lapse, particularly if it be subjected to
any extra strain, as when one runs for
car or rapidly up a fight of steps
Excitement alone may be fatal to a
weak heart
Rigorous dieting to reduce weight is
always dangerous. 4 better plan is to
work of the superhuous flesh by ex-
ercise.
Lack Of sleep has depressing effect
on the heart for during sleep cerebral
circulation diminishes, when the blood
can devote itself to the rest of the
body.
lung tSlVie SoluS 10 bNU, pdIitCu-
larry If one is up late, is good prac-
tice, it being most favorable to thor
ough body repair that the blood ar
night be rich in nOurishment
Accustoming the digestive organs to
a small amount of food results in a de-
cline of appetite, whereas our object
should be to increase appetite and
thereby strengthen our digestive pow
ers by judicious exercise in the open
air or in a we'll ventilated room.
If the doctrine that A small appetite
is preferable to a large appetite bc
true-and this is what economy in
nutrition" teaches-then open air ex-
ercise, which manifestly increases ap-
petite. must be injurious to health. Or
why should we exercise to increase ap-
petite if we may eat only so much?
The notion is wholly absurd. The
first sign of illness in a man or an ami
NAL is loss of appetite. And usually
appetite is Il measure of health.
To build IN the heart and muscular