The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-02-21
FOOD AFTER FIFTY

In the doctors bible"-Oslers Practice of Medicine, to be found in every library-we read:
 George Cheyne's thirteenth aphorism con- tains a volume of dietetic wisdom: Every wise man. after fifty, ought to begin to lessen at least the quantity of his Aliment" (Cheyne, Osler and I said aliment, whatever the proof readers typographers may think we meant), and if he would continue free of great and dangerous Distempers and preserve his Senses and Faculties clear to the last he ought every years go on abating grad ually and sensibly, and at last descend out of Life he ascended into it, even into the Chids Diet"
 By Chids Diet of course Cheyne meant a straight milk diet.
 Who George Cheyne by the way? That seven-year allusion in his aphorism makes one wonder how he got that way. Briefly George was the famous Fat Boy of his time, born in Scotland in 1871, yet by the time he was thirty years old he had managed somehow ito get his weight up to 44S pounds, and entirely by eating and drinking in excess. But now his nativity showed itself by the great shortness of breath and lethargy of the man-he expended no ef- fort if he could possibly avoid it. Clothing for that size costs 50 per cent more than clothing for a normal man. even if you press your own kits as Harry Lauder does and so George Cheyne began dieting on milk and veg etables and exercising freely and thus reduced his weight to 150 pounds. He survived to what in his day was ripe old age, 72 years and left to posterity his famous essay on health and long life, from which Dr Oser often quoted.
 Today the age of sixty would be early enough to begin to lessen the quantity of food, and for many men or women who remain actively in business or at their regular occupation beyond that age it would be unwise to change the di etary habits unless these have been wrong right along.
 Young persons may experiment with dieting without much risk of fatal consequences (eX- cept the lighting up of. latent tuberculosis where reduction diet is carried to extremes). But men and women of mature age are foolish to monkey with their diet in any way unless under the advice of the physician. Too many and women who have attained the age of wisdom seem to have gathered lot or hokum instead of wisdom, particularly in the field of physiology and hygiene. They acquire and cherish many queer convictions about right and wrong food combinations, acid and alkaline foods and foods that easy or difficult to digest and because they have cherished these peculiar notions long time they think they must be so.
 If the elderly person likes milk, maybe buttermik, any of the artiicially soured or fermented milk beverages, it is just as whole some and healthful food as milk is for the baby. But most older boys and girls nowadays manage somehow to keep their teeth, or else have something just as good built in by the dent, and why have teeth if not to use them eating? old parties who are content to be big babies may descend out of Life" on the Child's Diet. But while has teeth and continues to make a noise in the world like man or woman, it is wise to keep on eating fair vari- ety of fish, game, meats, vegetables and fruits and avoid too much liquid or soft or easily di- gested pap.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Diet and HumOr
 Convinced that scrawniness comes from false diet, perhaps too much acid in the blood, arn studying all foods with acid content and those with alkaline content. GA. M0 Answer-Should you find yourself ounces serawnier your researches proceed. daugh- ter, write to or Doc Brady care of this paper incose a stamped envelope bearing your ad- dress and ask for Instructions for Gaining Weight.
 Whiskey
 1. Is whiskcy n stimulant or a depressant if taken in small quantities? 2. What causes the feeling of warmth after taking one drink? :. mia? (F. J. H.
 Answer--1. Depressant. 2. Inhibition par tial paralysis of vasoconstrictor nerves which control the tone of surface vessels-relaxation Of these vessels 1ushes the skin and dsspates the body heat. 8. No.