The New York herald., 1922-12-18


OF definite propositions. We know now.
for example. that overweight Is . seri
Gus impairment among insured lives. the
gravity increasing with the. excess In
weight ovcr the average for the height
and age. But even this statement has
its exceptions. because at the younger
ages a limited amount OF overweight IL
apparently an advantage, Such persons
have uniformly a lower death rate from
tuberculosis. 1t is after age IS that
overweight. even In relatively small
amounts. begins to be dangerous. The
seriousness increases with advancing
age and with the amount of overweight.
Among short men. that IS tho be-
low ave feet soven inches in height. at
the ago period 40 to ~ years, an excess
of 20 per cent. in weight involves an
added mortality Of 80 per cent. above
the normal. A 10 per cent. increase in
weight in such individuals involves an
increased mortality Of nearly 80 per
cent. Among tall men. that Is those
over five feet. ten inches in height. the
adverse situation IL even more marked.
For. among. them. at ages 40 to A. a 20
per cant. excess in weight carries q 10
per cent. increase in mortality. and q 40
per cent. excess In. weight. doubles the
mortality
8 On the other hand. underweisht,
which is common enough. presents q
different picture. In general UNDER
weight Is an advantage, provided. Of
course. the proportion Is not too great
It 10 a serious impairment in early adult
life. especially among taller men, Those
who are over Ave feet ten inches and
VINO are 20 per, cent. below the average
weight for their height show an in
creased mortality Of 80 per cent Those
having 80 per cent. underweight have a
so per cent excess mortality at these
early ages. But. from age 40 onward,
there are apparently no such penalties
for underweieht and this condition, In
fact. becomes a distinct advantage for
these are the people who have. the best
mortality rates.
The important lesson taught by these
propositions ID that there Ia an optimum
build with reference to mortality. The
average build is not the best build
Those who weigh between, 10. and 20
per cent. below the average show the
optinum condition Of longevity at the
most Of the. ages after early adult life.
These few facts. which have been de-
rived from analysis OF the insurance
records. must be supplemented by inten-
sivo physiological research. A promis-
ing field Of investigation Is opened up
for the physiologist to determine why
the body mechanisms function better IN
those who are Of lighter build than in
heavier SGT persons. Common obssrva-
tion confirms these statistical findings
We can all recall from our personal OBJ
servatlon that the large majority OF our
friends who have reached a ripe old
age are. OF slight build. Large persons
more often succumb at an earlier age to
the disea ses of tho heart or Kidneys. to
pneumonia and to disorders which re-
feet the wornout machinery OF the body.
To. discover the reason for this is the
problem OF the physioiogist..
y A promising lead for. investigation 10
the suggestion that among overweief,ts
having a large chest capacity the condi-
tions OF mortality are more favorable
than among those not 10 protected. II
may we'll be that overweights who have
large trunks are probably the best over
weights and must be distinguished from
those OF small chest capacity and corre-
spondingiy large abdominal girth. The
Significance OF these differences is for
tho future to determine.