The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-13
SAVING FAT MEN
 FROM THE HEAT A Regular Business of the
 Y. M. C. A. IN GREAT NEW YORK CITY Problem of Avoiding sunstroke and Heart stran-Exercise Rather Than likeness the Great
 Preventive.

New York, Sept. 12.-One of the odd est industries in New York is probably that of getting fat men through the metropolitan summer without heat pros tration or fatty degeneration of the heart or some other organic trouble And. ac- cording to those engaged in this business there is rushing trade in 1t. A side branch of it is getting New Yorlx's busi- ness men-fat, medium and thin-into con dition for the business hustle and the long round of banquets and sessions at the club, and the turmoil of election which the fall ushers in
 The largest business done in this line is probably done in the gymnasium, swim ming pool, hot room, massage room, and open air handball courts of the West Side Y. M c. A. in West Fifty-seventh street. When these things do not an swer the need, MT E. M "Bonpwan" is taken over to the nearby field at Fifty fourth street and North river and sent around the running track for a few turns. And in a few days he finds that instead of being nuisance to himself and drippy, jellylike animal he is fairly proof against all that humidity and de- grees F. can do to him.
 Dr. Louis R. Welzmiller physical di- rector, was found yesterday supervising the work of group of a dozen men whose combined weight was considerably above ton. In answer to a question as to the summer use of gymnasium, he said:
 There are two great activities at this gymnasium during the summer months. One of these is keeping men who are too fat in condition to resist the heat and also preparing them for their winters work. Among these is a few actors to whom any gain in weight is a serious obstacle, unless they want to Ol ha ducing crowd. however. the largest num- Der work here simply for the health protection it affords them against the heat, for fat men are, of course, more subject to high temperature than thinner men. Moreover, the very weight of a fat man makes him dislike the exercise which is essential to him. If left to them selves these men will go through the summer sitting around in chairs over eating and steadily growing in weight, for they will drink such quantities of water that they replace any effect per spiration may have toward reducing them. If, however. you can supply these with exercise, which is good fun in it. self, they will do work which reduces flesh and at the same time fits them to resist heat.
 ''The fat man stuffs himself with fuel, but gives no escape to the heat result ing from It. His liver and circulation quickly get clogged and out of order, his vitality is necessarily lowered, and he becomes fit subject for heat fatalities. One does not hear of farmers working in the hay fields in the summer being over come by the heat The reason Is they are living normal life which keeps their pores open and their organs function ing properly. study of the heat pros trations in the city would indicate that few men who are doing manual labor, provided they abstain from alcoholic drinks ever are knocked out by the heat. It is the non exercising man and woman the same type that in winter is subject to freuuent .colds-who Is the ready vic- tim of jump of ten degrees in temper ature And these people, even If they do not succumb to the heat, are made by 1t so listless and. weak that their earning power and their capacity for doing brain work or conducting business is material ly lessaned.
 "The real preventive against heat pros- tration is exercise-good hard exercise, not to excess, for too much of anything Is bad. And this Is what we are giving our fat men and others during the summer. In the case of the fat men, one object is 10 reduce the superfluous weight they are carrying, but this must be done care fully For it Is a great mistake to so reduce a mans waist that he begins to lose energy and strength as well as flesh. That Is one trouble with many of the anti flesh drugs. They may reduce the fat, but they frequently weaken the subject Reduction must stop just at the point where the normal minimum of weight is gained along with the maximum of energy.
 .'To get at this we give our fat men just enough formal exercise to keep certain muscles in shape, but as work with dumbbells and chest weights is not in itself very sociable, we have arranged series of games, handball, open air squash, ball games and running games. which combine all the necessary physical