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The subject of "Obesity," including itscause and treatment, has received during thepast few years a great deal of attention bothin England and on the Continent. Thousandsof persons have realized the extraordinarybenefit to be derived from the simple treatmentlaid down in the following pages.

Some members of the medical professionhave, in the course of their practice, availedthemselves of the theory first propounded byour Author, but have failed to acknowledge—eitherthrough ignorance or inadvertence—thesource of their information.

Under these circumstances it has beendeemed an act of justice, though tardy, toplace before the profession and the public atranslation of the original work ofDancel,modifications in matters of theory have, however,been introduced, which the progress ofscience imperatively demanded.

The invariable success which has attendedthe treatment of several cases of obesity inthis city, in accordance with the principles establishedbyDancel, warrants the assertionthat the system is in every respect worthy ofpublic confidence.

To the many individuals of both sexes whoare afflicted with an excessive development offat, rendering the ordinary duties of life notonly irksome but ofttimes impossible,—aneasy method of reducing obesity, in nowiseinterfering with the ordinary daily avocationsof the patient, nor demanding any diminutionin the actual amount of food consumed;requiring the use of none but the mildest andmost harmless medicinal agents; improvingat the same time the general health, and augmentingbodily and mental vigour,—mustprove acceptable.

The process will be found not a mere speculativetheory, but one based upon the greatlaws of Nature, as manifested throughout thewhole of the animal kingdom.

Can corpulence be reduced without injuriouslyaffecting the general health? This isthe grand question, and it is suggestive of another,which is:—an inordinate amount offat once having been deposited in and amongthe living tissues, is its presence necessary forthe preservation of the health and life of theindividual? My answer is,—most assuredlyno! Every one knows that an undue degree ofcorpulence is not only accompanied with greatinconvenience to the individual, but is, inmost instances productive of ill health, andtoo frequently of positive disease.

Having answered this question, anotheroccurs:—are there any substances generallyknown to the profession which have the power[viii]either to destroy fat or to cause its disappearance,and which, at the same time, will haveno action upon the other tissues of the body?My reply is most assuredly there are such;and I will prove my assertion in this respectto be correct, without resorting to the use ofsubtle reasonings or invoking the aid oflearned theories, but will be content to rest itupon the sure foundation of chemical science,—onthat science which teaches the action ofone body with another, which shews us thatin some cases no change whatever is effectedby the mechanical combination of two ormore indifferent substances; and that in otherinstances, the chemical union of two bodieswill be productive of a third, having propertieswholly dissimilar from either of the twooriginal substances:—thus, that one or moreelementary substances or chemical compoundsmay enter into combination with a fatty bodyto produce a third, and yet have no power ofaction whatsoever upon the muscles, the[ix]bones, the nerves, or any other than the fattytissues of the living organism.

Knowing, therefore, the chemical constituentsof fat, and also those entering into thecomposition of the several articles of dietwhich are principally made use of in the civilizedworld, we are enabled to say of a certainclass of alimentary substances, that such containthe elementary ingredients of fat; andthat if you desire to escape the inconveniencesand evils attendant on corpulency, it will bewell to abstain from them; and that, on theother hand, by making use of such and suchalimentary substances, and that too in anyquantity the appetite may prompt, there willbe no danger of suffering the inconveniencesalluded to, because such substances containbut a minute portion of those elements whichenter into the composition of fat.

In the following treatise, a system for thereduction of corpulence, based upon the above[x]well-recognized truths, will be found fullydeveloped, and its correctness established bymeans of numerous cases brought forward, inwhich the results have been entirely satisfactory,and where the patients have kindly permittedme to state their names and addresses.

The physician has a twofold duty to perform.He is called upon not merely to alleviate pain,and to undertake the cure of disease, but he is,moreover, required to lay down rules for thepreservation of health, the prevention of disease,and its too frequent concomitant, pain.

Now, health being dependent upon the dueand regular performance of the vital functionsby the several physiological organs of the body,any excessive development of these organs, orundue manifestation of force on their part,must, of necessity, be contrary to the generalhealth of the body, and be productive of diseaseand pain.

In many persons there exists a constitutionaltendency to the excessive formation of blood,occasioning a plethoric condition, and therebyrendering the individual liable to a great manydiseases; others again suffer from an exaltedor diminished sensibility of the nervous system,[2]inducing some of the greatest woes to whichhumanity is liable.

Many different elements are combined in thestructure of the various organs of the body,and among these fat, in suitable proportion,must be recognized as necessary for the dueand equable performance of the several organicfunctions.

This fat, however, often becomes excessive,giving rise at first to great inconvenience, aftera time inducing debility, and finally constitutinga disease (hitherto deemed incurable) termedobesity.

The possession of a graceful figure may be oflittle importance, in so far as the happiness ofmost men is concerned; but as regards thegentler sex, such is by no means the case.Women are too apt to believe that, in theabsence of physical beauty, the possession ofmental and worldly treasures can only sufficeto render them endurable in their social relations.Beauty, the richest gift of nature,deserves to be carefully guarded by those whohappily possess it; corpulence, its enemy, isdestructive to the finest organization.

It is a painful sight to witness the manyinstances of women, who, though still of youthfulyears, and whose elegance of form, but ashort time since, did but enhance their unsur[3]passedloveliness of countenance, lose by degrees,in the midst of an overwhelming fat, allthis relative and graceful harmony, and whoseever increasing corpulence serves only to renderthem ill-favoured and repulsive. In all cases,so detrimental a change is much to be regretted;but for ladies mingling in the fashionablespheres of life, it is to be borne only whensuch a condition can be shewn to be utterlybeyond all hope of relief.

Excessive corpulence has destroyed theprospects of many, both men and women, byrendering them incompetent to discharge theduties of a profession by which they had hithertogained an honourable livelihood. Superabundanceof fat prevents an infantry officerfrom following his regiment—a cavalry officerfrom being long on horseback; and thus bothare alike compelled to retire from the service.The operatic artiste, whose voice orpersonal beauty had been hitherto a mine ofwealth to the theatre, falls into indigence,because an excessive development of fat nowembarrasses the lungs or destroys her personalcharms.

Every one engaged in intellectual pursuitswill say that since he has increased in fat hefinds that he cannot work so easily as he didwhen he was thin. The painter feels the want[4]of that vivid imagination which was wont toguide his brush. The sculptor labours withindifference upon the marble. The literaryman feels heavy, and his ideas no longer flowin obedience to his will. The clerk in hisoffice is ever complaining of the efforts he isobliged to make to resist an overwhelmingdrowsiness which interferes with his calculatingpowers, rendering him unable to composea letter, or even to copy one. Obesity, in fact,lessens both physical and moral activity, andunfits man for the ordinary business of life.

It was in conformity with this opinion, nodoubt, that the Romans at one time, wishingto have no drones among them, banished thoseof their fellow citizens who laboured under anexcessive development of fat. One can conceiveof the existence of such a law among apeople who condemned to a like punishmentany citizen known to be indifferent to thepublic welfare.

We must admit, however, that it would bea grave error to assert that all persons sufferingunder an excess of fat are invariably wantingin the finer feelings, or even in moralenergy. There are many living proofs to thecontrary. But it is among women chiefly thatwe witness instances of great mental refinementand susceptibility, in union with a bodysteadily increasing to a lamentable size.

[5]Moralists have written that obesity is a signof egotism; of a good stomach, but of a badheart; and many may be found to endorse thesentiment. Unhappily people are easily dazzledwith high sounding words, and the sententiousphrases of moralists. This is wrong;for if we take the trouble to adopt for amoment the opposite to that which they advance,we shall often find that this opposite isnot void of reason. In support of this remarkmany reasons can be advanced why a fat personshould have a good heart, and be endowedwith most excellent qualities. Corpulence, it istrue, usually indicates good digestive powers;but good digestion is not incompatible withgoodness of heart. One who digests his foodeasily ought to be better disposed towardsthose around him, than the sickly creaturelabouring under dyspepsia. What amount oftemper can be expected in those who dailyexperience pain in the stomach while thedigestive process is going on? they can haveno joyousness of heart, but must continuallybe in bad humour, too often seen in their contractedand jaundiced features. It is a greatmental effort on their part to receive you witheven a seeming cordiality. We may alwaysaccost a person with a degree of confidence,whose skin is gracefully spread over a suffi[6]cientlayer of fat. I may be mistaken, but inmy opinion we need not expect to meet insuch persons great mental anxiety, or intenseegotistical feelings.

Julius Cæsar was warned a few days beforehis assassination that an attempt would bemade upon his life:—Antonius and Dolabellawere accused of being the conspirators. "Ihave but little dread of those two men," saidhe, "they are too fat, and pay too much attentionto their toilette; I should rather fearBrutus and Cassius, who are meagre and pale-faced."The end justified Cæsar's opinion.

With respect to lean persons, I shall notundertake to oppose the general opinion that adelicate organization is emblematic of a mindendowed with a great member of most preciousand good qualities, frequently used with suchenergy, as by its very strength to be the causeof bodily weakness. But let us beware ofentering the domain of Lavater, Gall andSpurzheim. We would rather say that theemblem of health is a sufficient but not toogreat rotundity of person—mens sana in corporesano.

Sterility must be numbered among the infirmitiesinduced by excessive corpulence. Thisis a well attested fact in reference to thehuman species, and also as to the females ofthe lower animals. One of the professors inthe Medical Faculty of Paris, while explainingin his lectures how fat could interfere withconception, never failed to cite the practice ofthe peasantry, who hastened to send to marketthose hens which became excessively fat, becausethey then ceased to lay eggs. Evenplants lose their fertility by excess of fat. Aplant growing in a cultivated soil where itfinds a superabundance of food becomes sterile,because the stamens are transformed intopetals, causing double flowers.

The rule is, in order that a woman shouldbe capable of conception, that she should beregular—that is to say, that she should loseeach month a certain quantity of blood. Nowit is asserted by medical men that, in general,those women who are thin, and who are almostwithout exception fertile, lose much more bloodthan fat women. Menstruation lasts with themfrom five to ten days, whilst fat women lose but[8]very little blood during two or three days atthe most. It may be added that in the first ofthese three days the loss is considerable, thesecond day there is scarcely any, and on thethird day there is more, but it then ceases.

Just in proportion as a thin woman becomesfat, her menstrual flow diminishes, and somuch the more speedily, the quicker she becomesfat. Some women who have thusincreased in fat have ceased to menstruate atthirty-five, at twenty-five, and even at twentyyears of age. Some young girls, regular attwelve or fourteen years of age, on becomingfat, have ceased to menstruate and becomechlorotic.

One great result of the anti-obesic treatmentis, that while destroying the excessive amountof fat, it causes women to become regular, andthus favours conception.

Thin men in general possess greater virilitythan those surcharged with fat, and in proportionas this fat is developed virility is impairedand finally lost. This infirmity happens tomany corpulent men at fifty, forty-five andeven forty years of age. Some who were veryvery fat at the age of puberty, have been impotentthroughout life. There are facts whichprove that virility in man, like fertility inwoman, may be restored on losing a superabundanceof fat.

The human skin is capable of great extension.It may be distended to four times itssize, yet is not endowed with much elasticity.On this account we may notice, in very fatpersons, rolls of fat about the neck, back,buttocks, arms and pubis. The epidermis,which constitutes the external layer of theskin, is but slightly capable of extension.When distended beyond a certain point, ittears, and produces those white streaks whichare to be seen on the abdomen of pregnantwomen, or of those who have borne children,and also of those who have laboured undersevere dropsical ascites. These white streaksmay be formed upon all parts of the body,when the skin is considerably distended: thusthey have been seen in a young woman twenty-eightyears of age, who weighed three hundredand four pounds. In her case these whitestreaks were to be seen upon the arms, theshoulders, the breasts, &c.

The skin of the abdomen would not be sufficientto retain the abdominal viscerain situ,[10]were it not that between these organs and theintegument there exists a fibrous or muscularlayer, in some places double, consisting of astronger and less extensible tissue than theskin, in order to strengthen the abdominalwalls. It sometimes happens that this fleshylayer, having yielded to a certain amount ofdistension, occasioned by the volume of theintestines, and of their surrounding fat, andbeing thereby unduly stretched, permits thepassing between its fibres of a certain portionof intestine or of fat, which, lying immediatelyunder and pushing the skin before it, constituteswhat is termed a hernia. Dropsy orpregnancy are frequently the primary cause ofthe various descriptions of hernia, termed inguinal,crural, &c. Umbilical hernia is thatwhich is usually produced by a too greatdevelopment of fatty tissue in the abdomen.The umbilicus is that part of the abdomenwhich is the least susceptible of dilatation.When the belly becomes enlarged to a moderateextent, the navel becomes depressed, shewingthat this part does not easily yield to thepressure from within; but it is supported bythe recti muscles, those two bands of fleshyfibres lying immediately beneath the skin, andpassing from above downwards, on each sideand close to the navel. In extreme develop[11]mentof the abdomen, these muscles are displacedfrom their normal position near theumbilicus, and no longer lend it support. Thefibres of the umbilical ring are thus separatedby the pressure exerted by the abdominal fat,and a portion passing through the fibres pushesthe skin before it. A small protrusion takesplace, which is not yet outwardly apparent,because the remaining fibres of the umbilicalring still afford considerable resistance, andretain the ring concealed in the deep hollowwhich is observable in the navel of fat persons.In order to determine the existence of umbilicalhernia at this early stage, the patient should beplaced in the recumbent position. On introducingthe little finger into the navel depression,and directing the patient to cough, wefeel an impulse against the finger which is notto be felt, under the same circumstances, overany other portion of the abdominal walls.

In some cases of hernia it is not absolutelynecessary to place the person in the recumbentposition, but in this case it is indispensable:unless we do so the impulse cannot be felt, sinceit cannot take place in the upright position.

In the year 1851, a lady consulted me. Shewas then very fat, and the abdomen was greatlyenlarged. I said to her, "You have probablyumbilical hernia." "I have long feared that[12]such was the case," she replied, "but happilyI have not. Only a few days ago my ownphysician examined me, and he declared thatI had not. He has advised me to wear anabdominal supporter." Noticing her greatenlargement, I was not satisfied of the non-existenceof hernia. I begged to be allowedan examination. Having obtained her consent,I immediately detected, by the means I havepreviously pointed out, a small hernia in thedepth of the navel cavity. She had greatconfidence in her own physician, and told mepositively that I was mistaken. I recommendedher to see her own physician, and tobe examined again by him in the same manneras I had examined her. There was no doubtin my mind but that he would detect it, andsuch was the case; but he said that it hadoccurred since his previous examination: possiblyso. An umbilical truss was immediatelyadapted; for it is only in hernia at its earlystage that we can hope for a cure by means ofa truss, and by removing the cause, that is tosay, by reducing the mass of fat existing in theabdomen.

If the development of a small hernia is notprevented, it gradually increases, and makesits appearance upon the walls of the abdomen.At first it is of the size of a small pear, a hen's[13]egg; afterwards it increases to six, eight, ten,fifteen or twenty pounds weight. It then assumesmore or less the shape of a mushroom,which is exceedingly troublesome, as it requiresto be supported by means of a hollow truss, aspecies of box with springs. Umbilical herniais to be met in more than one half the numberof persons who measure fifty-five inches roundthe abdomen.

Such is the progress of medical science, thatthe following ideas as to the diseases which maybe engendered by excessive corpulence, wouldhave been deemed, twenty-five years ago, unworthyof a doctor of medicine: a hundredand fifty years ago they would have obtainedthe applause of the physicians of those days.At the present time I foresee—I am indeedsure, that the medical profession will acknowledgethese same ideas to be founded uponreason and observation, two indispensablerequisites in all that concerns the healing art.

When the system of medicine founded byBorelli was in vogue, called the "IatroMathematical," it would certainly have beenacknowledged that a superabundance of fat,when developed in the human body, couldinterfere with the vital organs in the performanceof their functions, and thus be the causeof much disturbance and of many diseases.[14]But this would no longer have been admitted,when Broussais, the distinguished author of"Chronic Phlegmasia," in our own day, inharsh and severe language, and with an air ofconviction, loudly proclaimed that all diseaseresulted from local irritation, whence it wasirradiated throughout the organism, as in thecase when a sharp instrument pierces the flesh.This theory was the very opposite to the teachingsof the majority of medical men of a previousage, who maintained that local diseaseresulted from a general disturbance of thewhole system.

Thus, if the stomach were affected, Broussaiscalled the disease a gastritis (or inflammationof the stomach), which might induce disturbanceof the system at large; while many ofthe old school would have said that if thestomach were especially diseased, it was becausenature chose that channel in order to eliminatefrom the body the morbid principle which inthe outset had attacked the entire system.

It belongs not to the subject on hand toendeavour to signalize all the errors of the oldschool, nor to set forth what truth there maybe in the system; but I would ask one simplequestion. It has happened to every medicalpractitioner to be called in to see a personrecently taken ill, and that he has said, "The[15]disease is not yet well characterized; by-and-bye,or to-morrow, I shall be able to form anopinion, and say what the disease is." But untilthis "by-and-bye," until this "to-morrow,"what happens to the patient? for it is evidentthat there is sickness, a general ailment. Andwhen one particular portion of the body, anorgan, is principally affected, when the diseasehas there manifested itself, as we say, shall webe far wrong in saying that it is a kind ofcrisis? It would be just what happens, onlymore evidently, in those fevers which terminatein a critical abscess.

Nor is it advisable that I should speak ofthe founder of physiological medicine. Hisvast labours are the result of great genius, andhave long influenced the medical world withall the weight of a master mind. Having beenhis pupil for many years, I shall never cease toadmire his life of scientific labour. Nevertheless,I cannot refrain from remarking howmuch he has done to lessen the spirit of medicalenquiry. By localizing all diseases, andby his system of irritation, without takinginto account the constitution as a whole, howgreatly is the labour of the physician reduced!how little knowledge is necessary on his partto be deemed worthy of the title of Doctor ofMedicine! Once upon the highway of locali[16]zation,once engaged in this contracted study,there is no stop. It is no longer necessary to beacquainted with all the organs, both in a stateof health and of disease; the extent of territoryto be explored is reduced. The fashion at thepresent day is, that a physician of this schoolshould know only how to treat the diseases ofone particular organ, and rarely of two; thathe should be, in fact, a specialist. But arenot the principal organs of the body, for themost part, mutually dependent on each other,and all of them subject to a generalconsensus?What is the consequence of this medicalspecialism? Why, that every physician soengaged thinks, and most conscientiously, thatthe patient before him labours under that particulardisease to which he particularly devoteshis attention. This is perfectly natural. Themind of man is so formed, that it is narrowed,and loses its powers of comparison and ofjudgment, whenever it is concentrated andbrought to bear solely upon one subject, onesingle object. Man is no longer capable ofreasoning upon a science or an art, when heputs it out of sight as a whole, in order todevote himself entirely to one of its parts;but ends by making the subject of his studythe principal point, the all-important one,whence flow, in his opinion, all the rest; and[17]finally assumes that a part is equal to thewhole. When a patient complains of palpitationof the heart, he prescribes a bleeding,leeches, digitalis. If another complain ofsense of weight or oppression, bleedings, softeningsyrups, troches, &c., are prescribed.If another complain of headache, dizziness,with threatening apoplexy, he is bled.

Everything is treated locally, without inquiringwhether the evil be or be not theeffect of some general cause.

Among a vast number of general causes,giving rise to disease, I purpose to treat of one,and that is excessive corpulence, termed obesity.In our recent medical works, no referenceis made to this morbid predisposition, inregard to the diseases occasioned by it. I donot mean to say that superabundance of fat isthe cause of all the ills that flesh is heir to;but I am persuaded and do affirm that it isoften the primary cause of many diseases.

Thus, in cases of headache, there are assuredlymany which are produced by superabundanceof fat, because they commenced whenthat superabundance began to appear, andceased on its being diminished. Frequentheadache, becoming periodic, is constantly metwith in fat people. Nothing is more commonamong such persons than dizziness. In these[18]cases, are not the blood-vessels oppressed withfat interfering with a free circulation of theblood, and is not fat therefore the cause of allthese troubles?

But it may be said that the blood producesthese affections, since, after loss of blood, thepatients are relieved. I do not agree with this,and I say that the blood is not in such casesthe cause of these ailments; because fat people,both men and women, have no more blood thanthin persons: I maintain that they have evenless. It is granted that loss of blood in cases ofheadache, vertigo, alleviate and even cure theseaffections; but only for a time; for eight days,or a month or two at the most, and then graduallyreappear, and bleeding is again required.

This amelioration, these momentary cures,produced by blood-letting, are to be explainedin such cases by saying that the quantity ofblood, although not so great in fat as in thinpeople, is impeded in its circulation, and thatloss of blood, by still further diminishing thequantity, facilitates for a while its passagethrough the blood-vessels.

This method is consequently only palliative;it does not attack the root of the evil. Bleedingtakes away blood which is troublesomeonly in consequence of the excess of fat;for every physician is aware that repeated[19]bleedings tend to the development of fat inan extraordinary degree. Fat people insistupon being bled at more frequently recurringperiods, because their corpulence continues toincrease, and headaches and dizziness becomemore frequent. The seemingly useful remedyincreases the cause of the trouble.

Notwithstanding the temporary relief, andapparent cure, corpulence finally produces sucha disturbance of the brain, or of some othervital organ, as suddenly to produce death inthe course of an hour or two, with everyappearance of excess of health. Usually anattack of serous or sanguineous apoplexy is thecause of death in persons labouring underexcessive corpulence.

It is an important fact, and one which Ihave noticed throughout twenty-five years ofmedical practice, that wherever I have beencalled to a case of apoplexy occurring in a fatperson, death has ensued in spite of every careboth on my part and of the other physicianssummoned together with myself to attend thecase. Bleedings, repeated three or four timesin the course of twenty-four hours, leechesapplied to the temples, mustard poultices, blisters—everythinghas failed to prevent a fataltermination. On the other hand, I can flattermyself that I have successfully treated, by[20]means of bleeding, leeching, &c., personsof a spare habit of body, when seized withapoplexy, some having made a perfect recovery,and others retaining only a partial paralysis.I am persuaded that physicians, if theywill reflect upon the results of their practice,will acknowledge that this is their experiencealso. In these cases an excess of fat is prejudicial,therefore, to life. The existence ofan apoplectic tendency in certain persons isadmitted by all physicians, that is, in the corpulent,with a short neck. Fat plays a mostimportant part in such a constitution. Manypersons have naturally a short bony frameworkof the neck; but these persons, on becomingfat, have scarcely any neck; and those inwhom the neck is naturally long, on the superventionof fat about the shoulders, chest, andlower portion of the face, become short-necked.The much-dreaded predisposition to apoplexyis consequent upon the development of fat.It will be seen, on reading the remarks uponthe cure of obesity, that in those cases wherethere has been a reduction in the amount offat, this tendency to apoplexy and cerebraldisturbance has disappeared.

Asthma, bronchitis, bronchorrhœa, pulmonarycatarrh, in fat persons, both male andfemale, do they terminate favourably? If so,[21]it is only for a while, to return, again to disappear,and finally to remain permanently, witha more or less constant cough, expectorationand oppression. In such cases, permanentcure becomes impossible, unless assisted by areduction of fat. How are these phenomenato be explained? Some physicians will saythat the lungs, being oppressed, and theirmovements constrained by neighbouring parts,and by the abdominal viscera, become obnoxiousto inflammation; while others will maintainthat these bronchial and pulmonary affectionsof fat people, are due to an afflux ofhumours to the part. Explain the presence ofthese affections in either way, I am persuadedthat a reduced corpulency will be favourableto the restoration of health. The cases whichI shall hereafter adduce will sustain my views.Let us enquire into the cause of those frequentpalpitations and dull pains in the region of theheart so common in persons of excessive corpulency.Pharmacopœal remedies are for themost part unavailing in these cases. We shallfind, further on, in our cases of recovery, thatthey have disappeared simultaneously with theundueembonpoint, a proof that they frequentlyarise from obstruction to the motion of theheart. The fat which overloads it and theneighbouring viscera, occupies too large a por[22]tionof the space necessary for the free executionof the heart's movements, and hence thespasms, sense of oppression, &c.

The fatty liver is well known to be a livercontaining in its substance more than the normalamount of fat; a morbid condition intentionallyinduced in certain animals for thepurpose of gain. In man the liver often becomessurcharged with fat, giving rise toobstruction of the liver. The term, obstruction,conveys an idea of the disease arisingfrom this cause. The liver secretes bile, which,in order to reach the duodenum, flows througha small duct. If this duct be compressed, theflow of bile is impeded, and the result is uneasinessand disease. The liver is traversed bya vast number of arteries and veins, throughwhich, in a condition of health, the blood findsa ready passage. If, however, an undue developmentof fat should take place in the tissueof the liver, these vessels become compressed.The inferior vena cava receives all the bloodemerging from the liver, and conveys it to theright side of the heart, thence to be sent to thelungs, to undergo that aëration which, bychanging it from venous to arterial blood,renders it fit for the nourishment of the variousparts of the body. Any obstruction tothe circulation through the liver must necessa[23]rilygive rise to the most serious consequences;for the blood which it contains is in no wisefitted for nutrition.

In case of obstruction to the circulationthrough this organ there may arise swelling ofthe legs, thighs and of the abdomen. It is oneof the recognized causes of abdominal dropsy,ascites; of dropsy of the lower extremities,anasarca. Hence arise those frequent swellingsof the legs, with their attendant incurableulcers, so often met with in fat people. Andwhen we reflect that the venous circulation iscarried on by means of a vital power whichhas to overcome the force of gravity, causingthe blood to flow from below upwards, fromthe feet towards the heart, we can readily understandhow easily any slight obstruction inthe liver may give rise to serious consequences,while on the other hand it will be manifest,that the liver being freed from its excess of fat,the venous circulation will be re-established,and those troublesome affections alluded to,therewith got rid of.

However, every medical man does not see,or is not willing to see matters in this light.Many will insist that this hepatic obstructionis a chronic hepatitis, or chronic inflammationof the liver, which is to be subdued by thelancet, leeches, blue pill, Vichy water and[24]vegetable diet. And what becomes of thepatient? I know I shall always remember acircumstance which occurred in 1829. I wasat that time a surgeon attached to the militaryhospital of the Val-de-Grâce, where Broussais,the illustrious founder of physiological medicine,was head physician. It was my duty tomake thepost mortem examinations, to recordthe several abnormal conditions found to exist,and which had been the cause of death. Uponone occasion, while thus engaged, Broussaisentered the amphitheatre, saying, "Bring yourinstruments with you, we are going to hold apost mortem in the city." We went to thehouse. A statement was required to be put onrecord as to the organic lesions which hadproduced death in the case of a young woman,about 25 or 26 years of age, belonging to awealthy and noble family. It was of importanceto have such a document, because themother of this young woman had died at anearly age, and the family wished to be able toprove in a court of law that death had notoccurred in consequence of any hereditary disease.Broussais and I entered the room wherelay the body of the deceased. We met theretwo of the professors of the Faculty of Paris,another physician, and the usual medical attendantof the family. A few words passed[25]in reference to the previous ailments of thedeceased. The family physician, a young manimbued with the principles of Broussais, toldus that he had been in attendance upon thedeceased lady about a year before, for a diseaseother than that which had caused herdeath; that he had cured her by means ofbleedings and leeches, and that after her recoveryshe had enjoyed the advantages of seabathing; that in the illness which had justterminated fatally, he had made use of bleedingsand an antiphlogistic regimen. The bodyof the deceased being removed from the bedand placed upon a table was remarkable forits excessive development of fat. The headhaving been opened, the brain was submittedto inspection and acknowledged to be healthy;and the same of the tongue, the œsophagus,the larynx, the bronchi, the lungs, the heart,the spleen, the kidneys, the bladder: the wombwas somewhat engorged, and larger, heavierthan normal, but without any trace of inflammation.All the principal joints were openedand found healthy; likewise glands, arteries,veins and lymphatics. The alimentary canalwas carefully examined throughout, withoutdiscovering any organic lesion in the stomachor large intestine. A few reddish brown spotswere, however, to be seen in the small intestine.[26]Broussais upon this pronounced death to havebeen caused by enteritis. Several of the medicalmen, on the other hand, were unwilling toadmit that these reddish brown spots couldhave caused death. The liver was then examined.On separating one of the lobes a layerof grease was left on the blade of the knife, asis the case always in cutting into a fatty liver,but which phenomenon is never manifested inthe case of a healthy liver. Those gentlemenwho had demurred to the reddish brown spotsas being the cause of death were of opinionthat the fatty liver, or which is the same thing,the obstruction to the hepatic circulation hadproduced death. Broussais could not agreewith this opinion, but dwelt upon the importanceof the testimony revealed by the reddishbrown spots, and a warm discussion ensued.Thepost mortem being over, I returned to thehospital, leaving these gentlemen in the midstof a discussion as to how the medico-legalstatement accounting for the death should bedrawn up. At this time I was scarcely ableto arrive at a satisfactory conclusion, althoughI had already spent several years in the hospitalas assistant to M. Fouquier, and had frequentlylistened to the teachings of Broussais,which explained all diseases as due to irritationdependent upon organic lesion; and always[27]ended by shewing that the only rational treatmentfor every morbid affection consisted inblood-letting, leeching and low diet. It maybe mentioned as somewhat remarkable that atthepost mortem held upon the corpse ofBroussais, no organic lesion sufficient to accountfor death was discoverable. In his ownperson, the greatest possible contradiction tohis theory was thus presented. Since that timemy attention has been particularly directed tothis subject. In my own practice I have constantlyobserved that when any obstructionoccurs in the liver no progress is ever madetowards the cure of diseases arising from thiscause, until the obstruction is overcome, andif not overcome, that death supervenes; andthe cause of this death is to be found only inthe liver, as in the case of the lady just mentioned.One of the earliest signs of obstructionof the liver, is swelling of the legs and ankles,appearing at first only towards evening, andnot to be noticed on the following morning,but again appearing during the day. It disappearsduring the night, because the horizontalposition favours the circulation in the lowerextremities. In this position fluids have notto contend with the laws of gravity. It ishighly important that this evil should be atonce remedied. The treatment for the reduc[28]tionofembonpoint we shall find to be infalliblein such cases.

It is indubitable that almost all fat womenlabour under some uterine affection. Some aretroubled with engorgement of the organ, witha continual sensation of weight, and a draggingof the sides and back. Others suffer fromfalling of the womb and displacement. Thesedisorders are frequently attended with granulationsof the neck of the womb, menorrhagia,leucorrhea, &c. Pessaries were formerly theusual remedies in such cases, but latterly ithas been well understood that in fat womenthese conditions are due to the fact that thewomb, a body floating within the abdomenis depressed, displaced by the large mass offat collected about the intestines. In order toprevent this intestinal mass of fat from pressingupon the womb, abdominal supporters havebeen contrived; but this intestinal mass cannotbe so lifted as to set the uterus free, withoutmaking pressure upon the stomach and lungs,and so giving rise to a sense of oppression andsuffocation; and even should such means affordsome relief, it would prove but temporary: thecause of the trouble would be still persistent.In order to effect the replacement of the uterus,the mass of fat must be got rid of.

[29]

It is a well established fact that many fatpersons are troubled with skin diseases, whichresist every treatment, and a cure is effectedonly when, from some cause or other, the personhas become thin. Would it be wrong tosay that in such cases the disease of the skin isdue to its over distension by fat, causing apartial stagnation of venous blood and serousfluid?

Among female patients who consult me inreference to their obesity, many complain ofa general sense of uneasiness, with frequentpains in the stomach, kidneys, headache, &c.,asserting that their excess of fat came on aftera confinement and when they had not suckledthe infant, and thence infer that their obesityis owing to a decomposition of milk within thesystem. I am not aware that this explanationhas ever been accepted, yet I do not understandwhy it should not be received as valid,since it is well known that any deterioratedsecretion may be absorbed and prove noxiousto the general system. Pus from an inflamedvein may be thus re-absorbed, and the patientunder such circumstances almost invariablydies. Why may not the secreted milk be likewisere-absorbed? I have met with many fatwomen from whose breasts milk constantlyflowed, although they had not borne children[30]for the last ten years. A lady who has followedmy method of treatment for obesity,says that she is certain that her excessive fatarose from her not suckling her last child, andthat her milk turned into fat. She has had nochildren for the last eight years, and whenevershe takes a child in her arms a peculiar feelingcauses an abundant flow of milk from herbreasts, which has all the properties of thehealthy secretion.

It is now well understood that corpulency isthe true cause of many diseases, yet it wouldbe folly to assign obesity as a cause of everydisease. To do so would be to detract fromthe value of the anti-obesic treatment. I feelcalled upon, however, to relate the followingaccount given by one of my patients, the correctnessof which was vouched for by severalof her acquaintances. She had been subjectfor many years to a nervous affection, theattacks of which were so severe that she fell tothe ground, foamed at the mouth and clenchedher hands, but did not lose consciousness duringthe fit, which usually lasted from tenminutes to a quarter of an hour. Such are thesymptoms of hysteria. Two years ago thislady went to the baths at Aix-la-Chapelle,where she heard of the anti-obesic treatment.Being very strong, she came to Paris and[31]placed herself for two or three months undermy care. She had had several fits at Aix. Ido not know whether she had any during thethe first few days after her arrival in Paris, butat the end of a month she told me she hadbeen perfectly free from them, and trusted thatthis change was due to my treatment. Suchhas really been the case; for since this ladyhas lost her corpulence, she has been free fromhysterical seizure. I am aware that many thinwomen are hysterical. When, however, this diseaseis met with in a corpulent person, and thatit disappears under the anti-obesic treatment,the cure may perhaps be fairly assigned to thetreatment. Excessive corpulence is the causeof many affections which are often with difficultycharacterized by physicians. The superintendentof a large manufactory at Bellevillereceived a severe blow upon the left side, severalyears ago. Latterly he has become verycorpulent, subject to dizziness and headache;moreover the left leg is swollen, and he sufferspain in the side which had been bruised. ProfessorCloquet first recommended bleedings,then leeches, afterwards frictions and plaisters.The patient at length, wearied with the aggravationrather than the amelioration of his ailings,came to consult me in the month ofApril, 1853. In the course of two months[32]under my treatment he has lost his excessivecorpulence, is free from pain in the side, hisleg is no longer swollen; he is active, and hasnow no fear of being obliged to give up hisbusiness. This is another instance of diseasedue to obesity.

After reading the preceding remarks, someastonishment must be felt that medical writershave paid so little attention to the subject ofcorpulence. It has been said not to constitutea disease: that it is a normal condition: thatit is a condition intermediate between healthand disease: that a fat person is predisposedto disease.

For my part I cannot comprehend a conditionbetween health and disease, with corpulence;and if such do exist it is attended withthose infirmities and serious inconveniencesalready mentioned. Predisposition to diseaseand morbid tendency are, in the case of personslabouring under obesity, the precursors ofserous or sanguineous apoplexy, obstructions,&c.

In fine, obesity is not always a disease,because it does not always cause suffering;but it ought, nevertheless, not to be neglected,because life cannot be of long duration undersuch circumstances, and may terminate suddenlyat any moment.

[33]

In the midst of the various duties of a medicalcareer, I flatter myself that I have notfallen into an error, too frequent with medicalmen, that of referring all diseases to one singlecause. Suspicion may arise that I have falleninto such an error, because I speak here onlyof those diseases consequent upon excessivecorpulence; but I pray the reader to rememberthat a vast number of diseases exist whichare altogether independent and foreign toobesity. It was, however, necessary that Ishould point out those morbid phenomenawhich are due to an excessive development offat in the system.

Physical beauty, like virtue, is a type towhich all approximate in different degrees,and which, when not wholly departed from,admits the possessor among the number of theaccepted in the eyes of the world; but if, inthe case of outward figure as with inwardmorality, any human attribute should appeardistorted or unseemly, it gives rise immediatelyto a feeling of displeasure and aversion.

Occupied at present with the considerationof physical form only, it may be averred thatone of the most frequent deformities of thehuman body consists in an excessive developmentof fat.

In accordance with the opinions of ablephysiologists, fat ought to constitute one-twentiethof the entire weight of the body in man(in the female about one-third more than inthe male). It consists of a multitude of minutecells, frequently forming large masses heldtogether by a very delicate membrane, theareolar tissue, which serves as a reservoir, andprevents the fat (which is fluid during life)from floating.

[35]

When once fat begins to make its appearancein more than ordinary amount, there isno reason why this augmentation should naturallycease at any given point. This corpulencecontinues to increase until some disease,often occasioned by the condition itself, terminatesthis frightful increase of size.

Cases of obesity are rarely met with inmountainous countries, and those having agreat elevation above the level of the sea,where the atmosphere is dry; whilst they arefrequent in valleys and plains at the level ofthe sea, having a moist atmosphere.

Men are less subject to obesity than women.The areolar tissue which contains the fat isfirmer in the male than in the female, and isnot so readily distended by the accumulationof adipose matter. Corpulence is usually developedafter the body has acquired its fullgrowth, but childhood is not exempt.

Not long ago, a child of four years old wasexhibited at Paris, which weighed one hundredand four pounds. Dr. Coe, an English physician,makes mention of a man named EdwardBright, who weighed one hundred and fourpounds at ten years of age; at twenty, threehundred and fifty-six pounds; and thirteenmonths before his death, five hundred andeighty-four pounds. Another person, a native[36]of Lincolnshire, weighed five hundred andeighty-three pounds, and was ten feet in circumference:he died in his twenty-ninth year.In another instance a man weighed six hundredand nine pounds: his coat, when buttoned,could contain seven medium-sized persons.A case is recorded of a man whoweighed six hundred and forty-nine pounds,and measured four feet three inches across theshoulders. In the "Javannah News," forJune, 1853, the following case is communicatedby a medical writer: "A young man, wholived about eighteen miles from Batavia, wasremarkable for his great size. When twenty-twoyears of age, he weighed five hundred andsixty-five pounds. He continued to increaseto over six hundred pounds. He lived uponhis plantation in easy circumstances. Fourweeks since, his weight began to increase atthe rate of a pound and a half, and subsequentlytwo pounds a day. He died one daylast week, suddenly, while sitting in his arm-chair.Three days before his death, he weighedsix hundred and forty-three pounds." Dupuytrenhas recorded the case of one Mary FrancesClay, of whom a plaster cast is preserved inthe Museum of the Ecole de Médecine, atParis. This woman, a native of Vieille Eglise,was of humble parents. Her husband travelled[37]as a pedler from town to town. When thirty-sixyears of age, she was no longer able toaccompany her husband, and took her place atthe door of a church, to beg her bread. Herheight was five feet one inch, and her circumferencefive feet two inches. Her head, whichwas small in proportion to her size, was almostlost between two enormous shoulders, givingher an appearance of immobility. A furrow,several inches deep, was the only boundarybetween the head and chest. Her breastswere enormous. Looking at her from behind,the shoulders were elevated by fat, and formedtwo huge protuberances. The arms stood outfrom the body, in consequence of cushions offat in the armpits. On observing the plastercast of this person, the right side will be seento be much more developed than the left,owing to her habit of lying on that side, andthe fat gravitating towards it. For severalyears she was able to walk from her dwellingto the station at the church door, about a mile;but finally she was compelled to stay at home.She suffered, while walking, from loss of breath,and had violent palpitations of the heart. Shewas unable to lie down, from a sense of impendingsuffocation, and was obliged to retainan upright position night and day, seated inan arm-chair. Under these circumstances,[38]nature soon gave out. She fell sick, and wastaken to the hospital, where she died. Abouttwenty years ago there was a German inParis, named Frederick Arrhens. He was thentwenty years of age, and weighed four hundredand fifty pounds. In circumference hemeasured five feet five inches, which correspondedexactly with his stature. He was poor,and had lived chiefly on vegetable and milkdiet.

It is almost unnecessary to describe obesity,since it is known at the first glance. The faceis animated; the circulation is impeded, andrenders the complexion turgid, and sometimesalmost of a deep wine-colour. The eyes sufferfrom this impeded circulation; they are sparkling,and frequently suffused with blood.The ears, which are generally colourless inhealth, are, for the most part, red in thoselabouring under obesity. The circulationthrough the head being greater than throughany other part of the body, and being impeded,an almost continual perspiration with greatheat is established; thus it is that fat peoplecan seldom bear to have the head covered; insome cases it even produces dizziness. As thiscondition progresses, if fortunate enough toescape threatened cerebral affections, the bloodloses its chief characteristic, and becomes wa[39]tery;such persons are pale and flabby. Theintegument of the lower part of the face iscapable of great distension, and here, in obesity,fat accumulates, and forms on both sidesan unsightly mass, sometimes reaching to thechest. A roll of fat is often found on the backof the neck. The trunk becomes enormouslydeveloped, and the breasts particularly enlarged.The arms are very fat; and as theareolar tissue which surrounds the wrist is of aclose texture, fat cannot accumulate there, andthe skin not being distended, a deep groove orfurrow is formed, as is the case in very fatchildren. The hands usually participate inthis excess ofembonpoint, but at a later periodthan other parts of the body. The abdomenattains a vast size, and impedes walking; sothat a person labouring under obesity carriesthe head erect, and the body thrown back, as inthe case of a pregnant woman, in order to preservethe necessary equilibrium and not fall forward.The intestinal mass, with its surroundingfat, being connected with the kidneys, by itsweight gives rise to a dragging sensation, andcauses pain on walking. It also pushes up thediaphragm, compresses the lungs and the heart,and becomes one of the causes of the sense ofoppression complained of by fat people. Manysuch, especially females, have between the[40]abdomen and the thighs deep furrows, whichbecome scalded, and require the application ofstarch, or of some other powder, as is the casewith infants when very fat. The integumentof the thigh is readily distensible, and allowsthe deposition of fat as far down as the kneejoint. At this point the areolar tissue is moredense, and less in quantity. The skin of thethigh, being thus distended, forms large folds,falling over the knee joint. The legs becomelikewise enlarged, frequently engorged, andtroubled with varicosities, more especially towardsthe lower portion of the limb. Graduallythe feet participate in this engorgement.

This general view of the outward appearanceof the body of a person labouring underobesity, may give some idea of the disturbancewhich an excessive amount of fat can producewhen situated within the body. On the outersurface it causes an extraordinary distension ofthe integument, giving rise, as we have beforesaid, to various diseases, such as pimples, boils,eczema, prurigo, &c., which can only be curedby a reduction of corpulence. In the interiorof the organism this same excess of fat causesdisplacement of the viscera, interferes with thedue performance of their functions (as we havealready explained), and leads to the suddendeath of the patient, whilst occupying his arm[41]-chairrather than his bed, for he can rarelyassume a recumbent position.

It has been said, moreover, that excessivecorpulence modifies the intellectual faculties,diminishes their power, and may even completelyannihilate them. The incessant desirefor sleep, the somnolence with which fat peopleare tormented, is sufficient proof of the correctnessof the assertion.

The experience of all medical men goes toshew that when persons of obesity are attackedby any acute form of disease, they succumbmore easily than those possessing an ordinaryembonpoint. Death usually occurs in suchcases unattended with great suffering. Destructiongoes on so quietly and imperceptibly,that the physician becomes aware of it onlywhen it is too late to grapple with it.

Excessive corpulence is promoted by wantof sufficient exercise, riding in a carriage,lying in bed too much, and the continued useof the warm bath. Having been told by manyfemales, as I have said before, that theirembonpointhad commenced after giving birth totheir last child, which they had not suckled,and that they attributed the development ofthisembonpoint to their not having suckledthe child, it may be asked, can this be assignedas one of the causes of excessive corpulence in[42]females? I mention these facts without venturingat present to give an opinion.

Some physicians, and many of the laity,think that repeated bleedings tend to thedevelopment of fat. For my part, the fact isindisputable, both theoretically and as theresult of experience. Bleeding removes a portionof the blood, which is flesh in a fluid state,having for its object not only the nutrition ofthe several organs, but also the stimulation ofthe heart's movements, and thus the maintenanceof life. Taking a little blood, is takinga little of that which maintains life, and istherefore a weakening of every organ of thebody. Areolar tissue, which becomes moreextensible in proportion as the body becomesmore feeble, must have its power of resistancediminished by the bleeding, and more readilypermit the deposition of adipose matter. Thisaffords an explanation of the fact stated bymany of my female patients, that their excessivecorpulence had manifested itself subsequentto repeated blood-lettings.

Bleeding encourages the development offat in the lower animals, as well as in thehuman species; a fact well understood bycattle-breeders, who put it in practice in thecase of cattle which they wish to fatten. Theonly exception made by them to this rule, is in[43]reference to those animals which have a softand yielding skin, as more frequently happenswith beasts of a red-and-white colour, whichare said to fatten readily. With this intention,agricultural writers recommend the use ofblood-letting. An article which appeared inan agricultural journal recommends that everyanimal intended for fattening should be bledtwice, at an interval of a few days.

Some people think that exercise on horsebackis apt to produce corpulency, while othersentertain a different opinion. The formermaintain that persons whose business requiresthem to be much on horseback, are frequentlyfat; a remark which is made especially inreference to cavalry officers, and which is quitetrue. But the following explanation maybe offered: A man on horseback undergoessevere exercise; and if he possesses a strongconstitution, and takes a sufficient amount offood, this exercise will facilitate the digestivefunction, and the volume of his body will beincreased. But it is necessary that the horsemanshould be of a very vigorous constitution.In truth, few cavalry officers are corpulent,and these few are to be met with among thosewho are somewhat advanced in life, and whoare by nature well adapted to the profession.The greater number of cavalry soldiers, whe[44]therofficers or privates, suffer much at firstfrom fatigue. The young men who join acavalry regiment soon grow thin, and, with butfew exceptions, remain thin so long as theyare in the service; and indeed it has happenedthat both in the case of officers and privates,in consequence of not being able to endurehorse exercise, they have been obliged tobe transferred to the infantry. It is thereforeincorrect to regard this kind of bodily exerciseas favourable to the development of corpulence.

For the development of obesity, there mustexist a certain predisposition. We meet withmany who do all in their power to grow fat,and who still remain thin, because, no doubt,they possess some peculiarity of organizationwhich prevents the development of fat.

Obesity may be hereditary; that is to say,the father or the mother may transmit to theirchildren a peculiar formation, having a tendencyto make fat. From certain physiologicalconditions, we may recognize at an early agea natural tendency on the part of some personsto become corpulent. In the young ofboth sexes, where this predisposition exists, theface is broad and short, the eyes round, andthe nose short and thick; the hands and feetare small, and there is a general roundness oflimb. When possessed of such an organiza[45]tion,obesity may be warded off by a rationalsystem of diet, to be indicated in the followingpages. But the immediate and producingcause of corpulence is to be sought and discoveredin the character of the food. The presentsystem is founded upon this principle.Medical authors assert that food has a mostimportant bearing in the production of corpulence.They forbid the use of meat, andrecommend watery vegetables, such as spinage,sorrel, salad, fruit, &c., and for beverage water;and at the same time they direct the patient toeat as little as possible. These instructions,like too many others, are given because theyare asked, and that in every disease, curableor incurable, the physician is bound to offersome advice. Medical men themselves put nofaith in them, since they pronounce obesity tobe incurable.

Having devoted a great deal of attention tothis enquiry, I have arrived at the conclusionthat it is not to be wondered at that obesityshould be incurable, because the very meanswhich have been recommended to overcomeit, are exactly those best fitted to induce andmaintain it.

I lay it down as an axiom, in opposition tothe received opinion of centuries, that a verysubstantial diet, such as meat, does not develop[46]fat, and that nothing is more capable of producingthe latter than aqueous vegetables andwater.

It is a principle which at first sight mayappear inadmissible. Nevertheless, the considerationof a few physiological and chemicalfacts, within the comprehension of everybody,will suffice to prove its correctness.

The most favourable physiological conditionfor the production of fat, in man as in thelower animals, is a large extent of intestinalabsorbent surface, the absorbent vessels beingproportional in number to the amplitude ofthe intestinal surface. The intestines, however,are conformable to the nature of thealiment. The intestines are small in the lion,tiger and panther, because their food consistsof a small quantity of flesh. The ox, on theother hand, a herbivorous animal, possesses anenormous paunch, to contain the large mass offood, yielding but little nutritive matter; consequentlythe herbivora must have a largerabsorbent surface than the carnivora. Thelength of the intestinal tract in herbivorousanimals is equal to fifteen times the length ofthe body; in the carnivora the length of theintestines is about three times that of the body;while in the tiger, feeding exclusively on blood,it equals only the length of the animal. In[47]this respect man holds an intermediate position,the intestines being equal in length toabout five or six times the height of the individual.This provision of nature is in keepingwith the character of his food—partly animal,partly vegetable. It is at his option, however,to modify this natural condition, by livingwholly upon meat or wholly upon vegetables.A person whose food is very substantial, butsmall in quantity (as, for example, meat), doesnot possess the dilated stomach and intestinesof the vegetable feeder, and consequently has aless absorbent surface than the latter. Amonganimals, we notice that the carnivora havenaturally but little fat, scarcely any belly, butan enormous development of muscular power;whilst the herbivora are more or less ladenwith fat. Among men, it may be noticed thatthe corpulent shew a preference for vegetableand farinaceous food, and partake largely ofwater, beer, &c.

If we examine this question from a chemicalpoint of view, we obtain the most satisfactoryevidence that flesh must be productive of lessfat than vegetable matter. The compositionof human fat in 100 parts is

[48]The principal constituents of fat, therefore,are carbon and hydrogen. Again, chemistryteaches that all food not consisting of flesh,such as vegetables, farinacea, sugars, &c.,resemble fat, being chiefly composed of carbonand hydrogen; and, still more, that fat exists,already formed, in some vegetable substances,as oil of olives, oil of nuts, and oleaginousseeds. If, therefore, we introduce into thesystem substances rich in carbon and hydrogen,we must make fat as inevitably as the beemakes honey from its elements contained inthe flowers.

On the other hand, we learn also from chemistry,that one of the principal constituentsof meat is nitrogen, an element which does notenter into the composition of fat. Food consistingchiefly of meat must be less productiveof fat than food mainly composed of carbonand hydrogen, such as vegetables, &c.

Distinguished chemists have endeavoured toshew in what manner the development of fattakes place in the animal economy. A paperwas read by me before the Academy of Sciences,at Paris, on the 15th December, 1851,from which the following extract is made:

"Three different opinions are entertained bydistinguished chemists, who have given atten[49]tionto this subject. The first, that of Dumas,maintains that the fatty matter of the body isderived solely from substances analogous to fatin composition, which pre-exist in the food.The second opinion, that of Liebig, is to theeffect that the formation of fat is due to amodification of those ternary compounds whichconstitute so large a proportion of the food ofanimals. The third opinion suggests that fatmay arise in consequence of some special fermentationtaking place in the stomach.

"Numerous experiments have been made,in order to determine which of these opinionsis correct; but it may be safely said that nosatisfactory conclusion has been arrived at.

"In the first place, the experiments havenever been conducted under circumstancesfavourable to the formation of a correct opinion.It is obviously of the first importance,when conducting experiments of this nature,that the food should be supplied so as notto interfere with the tone of the general health,considered morally as well as physically. Wecan conceive that the deprivation of liberty,in the case of an animal usually in the enjoymentof freedom, may render the experimentof dubious import. Although man is omnivorous,it is impossible that any one cansubmit, for a great length of time, to live upon[50]one kind of food only, without suffering asense of loathing.

"What inference can be drawn from thoseexperiments, made for the purpose of ascertainingwhether sugar is capable of producingfat, when they were made upon pigeons anddoves, which were fed solely upon this substance;at one time being deprived altogetherof water, and at another time allowing themas much as they chose to drink?

"Chemists wished to know if butter couldengender fat, and doves have been gorged withit, being deprived of all other food during thefew days that the experiment lasted; at theend of which time they died, of course excessivelylean; and the experimentalists thenceconcluded that butter does not produce fat.What an extraordinary idea, to feed a granivorousanimal upon butter solely, in order totest the question referred to! This experimentforms the subject of a paper written by me, andinserted in the proceedings of the Academy ofSciences, for the year 1844.

"Other experiments upon animals, conductedlikewise by men of science, are less open tocriticism than the one just referred to; yet itmust be confessed that no safe inference couldbe drawn from them. I am about to submita few established facts, which may throw some[51]light upon the question as to the cause of thedevelopment of fat.

"For several years past I have given muchconsideration to the reduction of corpulency incases where it interfered with the comforts oflife, and I can reckon by thousands those whohave followed my instructions. I have establishedit as a fact, without a single exception,that it is always possible to diminish obesity,by living chiefly upon meat, and partakingonly of a small quantity of other kinds of food.Make use of whatever medicine you please, itis impossible to obtain the same result in thecase of a person partaking indiscriminately ofeverything which may be placed upon thetable. There is yet another condition, withoutwhich success is impossible; that is, to absorbbut little fluid, whether in the shape of soup ordrink, or by means of the bath. A moistatmosphere is favourable to the developmentof fat: we increase in weight in wet weather.

"I have thousands of cases on record, in supportof my statement. Persons from all partsof the world, who have followed my teachings,have experienced a decrease of their corpulence."

The paper upon this subject ended by saying,that according to my opinion, fat might[52]be assimilated by either of the three severalmethods set forth in the beginning of the essay,one not forbidding the action of the others. Ibegged to be acknowledged by the Academyas the first who had established the fact that,in order to reduce corpulence without interferingwith the general health, it is necessaryto live chiefly upon meat, avoiding an excessof vegetable and aqueous food, or of any ofwhich the basis is carbon or hydrogen.

These chemical principles are founded uponfacts—upon observation. As I have said, carnivorousanimals are never fat, because theyfeed upon a substance rich in nitrogen—flesh;which flesh makes flesh, and very little fat.They have no belly, because flesh, taken insmall quantity, suffices for one day, or twenty-fourhours.

It has been objected that the carnivora donot always obtain food when hungry, and thatthey are often obliged to chase their prey for along time before catching it. This is true;but on the other hand, carnivorous animals,when domesticated and fed upon meat, are notmore fat, and have no belly. The celebratedtraveller, Levaillant, in his Travels in Africa,says that he has seen, in the southern part ofthe continent, flocks of gazelles, which live inthe interior, numbering from ten to fifty thou[53]sand.These flocks are almost continually onthe move; they travel from north to south, andfrom south to north. Those of the flock whichare in advance, and in the enjoyment of a richpasturage, frequently come upon the bordersof the settlements of Cape Colony, and are fat;those composing the centre of the herd are lessfat; while those in the rear are extremely poor,and dying with hunger. Being thus stayedin their course by the presence of man, theyretrace their steps; but those which composedthe rear are now in advance, and regain theirfat, while those which were in advance becomethe rear, and lose fat. Notwithstanding thevast numbers which daily perish, their naturalincrease suffices to maintain the integrity of theherd. In connexion with my subject I maystate that these flocks are always accompaniedor followed by lions, leopards, panthers andhyenas, which kill as many of them as theyplease for food, devour a part, and leave therest to the jackals and other small carnivorousanimals, which follow upon their steps. Now,these lions, panthers, leopards and hyenas,which need make but the slightest exertion tofind food when hungry, are never fat.

It has been said, by way of objection to mysystem, that butchers are generally fat, due totheir living upon meat. Now, I have made[54]some enquiries in this matter, and have satisfiedmyself that butchers, as a general thing,are not fond of meat, but live chiefly uponvegetable food, and usually drink a great deal.It has been said also that their good conditionis due to the atmosphere (filled with animalmiasm) in which they live, a supposition whichhas yet to be proven. Again, it has been saidthat hogs can be fattened upon horse-flesh.My reply is, that they drink at the same timea large amount of water. And here I mayremark, that the lard of hogs thus fattenedupon flesh is soft and watery, and is consideredby dealers to be of little value. It is evidentlynot due to the flesh upon which these hogs arefed, that their fat is soft and watery, but to thegreat amount of fluid they imbibe.

On the other hand, those animals which areenormously fat, live exclusively upon vegetables,and drink largely. The hippopotamus,for example, so uncouth in form from its immenseamount of fat, feeds wholly upon vegetablematter—rice, millet, sugar-cane, &c.Naturalists long entertained the opinion thatthis animal, living mostly in the water, fedchiefly upon fish. It is now, however, wellascertained that the hippopotamus nevertouches fish, and is wholly a vegetable feeder.

The walrus, which, according to Buffon,[55]seems to afford the connecting link betweenamphibious quadrupeds and the cetacea, is averitable mass of fat, and lives exclusivelyupon marine herbage. The walrus of Kamschatkameasures from twenty to twenty-threefeet in length, sixteen to eighteen feet in circumference,and weighs from six to eight thousandpounds.

The following fact may be cited as a remarkableproof that the quantity of fat in anyanimal is mainly dependent on the characterof its food: Among the whale tribe, thosemonsters in size, that of Greenland (Balænamysticetus of Linnæus) possesses the greatestamount of blubber, and it feeds upon zoophytes,of which many resemble as much in characterthe plant as the animal. The fin-backed whale(Balæna böops of Linnæus), which does notfeed upon mucilaginous matter, but upon smallfish, has a much thinner layer of blubber thanthe former. The sperm whale or cachalot(Balæna physalus of Linnæus), which feedson mackerel, herrings, and northern salmon,although nearly as long as the Greenlandwhale, is much thinner. The layer of blubberis not so thick as in the fin-backed, and yieldsonly ten or twelve tuns of oil; while theGreenland whale yields fifty, sixty, and eveneighty tuns.

[56]Now, chemistry, as we have said, furnishesa rational explanation of these facts. Withthe exception of flesh, all alimentary substances(the mucilaginous, the gummy, the saccharine,the aqueous, &c.) consist of carbon and hydrogen,and fat is composed of the same elements.Success in the treatment of disease would bemore frequent, if medical practitioners wouldpay greater attention to the chemistry of thevital functions; and the reason why certainarticles of diet have a greater tendency thanothers to the formation of fat, would, by theaid of the exact science of chemistry, be renderedself-evident.

All medical writers agree that want of sufficientexercise—as by lying too much in bed,riding in a carriage, &c.—is favourable to thedevelopment of obesity. The explanation issimple. We are all cognizant of the fact, thatthe body is sustained chiefly by means of food;but we also know that the atmosphere by whichwe are surrounded, plays an important part inthe nourishment of the body. The atmospherewe inspire contains oxygen gas, a portion ofwhich is destined to revivify the blood in itspassage through the lungs; another portionwe expel, we expire, no longer pure, but incombination with carbon obtained from thebody, in the form of carbonic acid gas. In[57]proportion as the respiration is more active,a larger quantity of oxygen is taken into thesystem, and more carbon in combination withoxygen is expelled as carbonic acid gas. Thereis consequently a less amount of carbon left inthe system to form fat. The greater the activityof the animal, the more frequent do therespirations become. Having said this, it isreadily understood why want of exercise, ridingin a carriage, lying too much in bed, tend to thedevelopment of fat; because, with this wantof activity, respiration is less frequent, and theoxygen combines with a less amount of carbon,and a larger quantity is left to enter into combinationwith the existing hydrogen, formingfat. Consequently the mountaineer, breathingan atmosphere rich in oxygen, is generally lessprone to the formation of fat than the dwellerin the valley.

The Bedouin Arab, owing to the activity ofa nomadic life, is never fat. Our peasantryare rarely over fat, unless they have acquiredwealth sufficient to relieve them from the necessityfor labor. Animals which are in constantmotion, such as the roebuck and the deer,although feeding upon substances rich in carbonand in hydrogen, have usually but littlefat.

Those birds which are continually on the[58]wing are never very fat. On the other hand,birds or animals leading an inactive life readilytake on fat. A means frequently resorted to,in order to fatten them, is to feed them in asmall enclosure. Some domestic animals areeven deprived of all power of motion in orderto hasten their fattening.

Among orientals, where the men remainseated the greater part of the day, and thewomen are obliged to stay in the house withoutever going out, frequent examples of obesityare to be met with.

Nuns in their cloistered convents, prisonersin jails often grow fat in spite of their wretchedfood, because the air they breathe being deficientin oxygen, withdraws but a small portionof the carbon from the system, the remaindergoing to the formation of fat. It is when thehuman body has attained its full growth, andespecially in the decline of life, that fat inexcess begins to be developed. I am of opinionthat want of exercise is one of its principalcauses. With increasing age the step becomesmore guarded, and a repugnance is felt for allbodily exertion. In this way the quality ofthe air, and the quantity of oxygen it containshave much to do with the formation of fat.

By virtue of that happy distribution andbalance of forces to be met with throughout[59]the universe, the expired carbonic acid gas ofmen and animals is destined to the nutrition ofplants, which assimilate the carbon and set freeoxygen gas. Plants being thus chiefly composedof carbon, are, when taken as food, richin the chief constituent of fat; and fat itselfis frequently a vegetable production. Muttonfat resembles that of the cacao bean, andhuman fat is similar to olive oil.

It is therefore clearly established that theimmediate and direct cause of the developmentof fat in the case of men and animals is to besought in the nature of the aliment, giving, atthe same time due weight to the several generalconditions which have a tendency to favorthe development of obesity. All food whichis not flesh—all food rich in carbon and hydrogenmust have a tendency to produce fat.Upon these principles only can any rationaltreatment for the cure of obesity satisfactorilyrest.

It can scarcely be necessary that I shouldrecord all the several methods which have beenproposed and adopted for the reduction ofobesity; yet, lest I should be charged with ignorance,some mention must be made of theseveral useless and contradictory opinions andmethods which have been adopted, frequentlyto the serious injury of the general health ofthe patient.

Some ancient authors inform us of the meansthat were employed in former times by slavedealers at Rome to render their merchandizefat or lean, in accordance with the requirementsof the market. But these means, in ourpresent state of society, are no longer available.I shall briefly say that the ladies of Rome, inorder to reduce the size of their breasts, which,when largely developed, were considered unsightly,were in the habit of using a poulticecomposed of Lemnian clay, lime, sugar, parsleyand white of egg. I have used this poulticeto arrest the secretion of milk after childbirth,[61]and under its influence the breasts have diminishedin size to such an extent that it wasmanifest a reduction of the fat surrounding theglands had taken place. Instead of Lemnianearth, I substitute an argillaceous substancepossessing all its properties. This poultice isthe only remedial means worth recalling: allthe others which are given are based uponsuperstition or some vulgar error. Thus it wasbelieved to be possible, by means of a surgicaloperation, to remove with safety the fatenmasse from the abdomen, in the case of personslabouring under obesity. This belief has derivedsupport from a story related by the historianof a certain pacha named Schisman, whoit is said always had a surgeon accompanyinghim in his travels, whose duty it was to removethe fat from his abdomen whenever it becametroublesome.

In 1718, Rothonet, a Parisian surgeon, issaid to have delivered a well-known personageof that time of an enormous belly. After theoperation the person became small and active.Rothonet was soon besieged on all sides by acrowd of people desirous of undergoing theoperation of delarding. Rothonet explainedthat the person upon whom he had operatedhad been afflicted with a fatty hernia protrudingfrom the umbilicus, and covering the whole[62]external surface of the abdomen; that by removingthis mass of fat he had restored theformer agility of the patient; but that hewould never dare to open the abdominal wallsfor the purpose of removing fat. Many people,however, believe to this day that it is possiblethus to remove fat.

Cases are recorded of individuals of excessiveobesity, who, being subject to the authority ofan absolute master, have been submitted tomost rigorous treatment for the purpose of reducingtheir fat. They have been shut up ina room, and fed upon an amount of food onlysufficient to sustain life, and consisting solelyof dry bread and water. Dry bread and waterhowever, in sufficient quantity, and an endurablecaptivity, are not infallible means of inducingleanness. A foreign prince, still young,and subject to the will of his father, has beensubmitted to this treatment for some length oftime, in the hope that his excessive fatty developmentmight be arrested. But in spite ofviolent exercise, and the use of medicinalmeans, the prince weighs, at the present time,over three hundred and fifty pounds. In thecase of horse-jockeys requiring to reduce theirweight to the necessary standard, we may observethat, in order to accomplish their object,they put on a large amount of extra clothing,[63]and take violent exercise (by running or otherwise)during several hours, and afterwards,while bathed in perspiration, are submitted toviolent friction by means of a coarse cloth.The employment of such means is not devoidof danger; but the fat lost is soon recovered ifthe general health has not suffered impairment.

Drinking vinegar is a means unfortunatelytoo frequently resorted to for the reduction ofcorpulence. This acid destroys the mucoustufts of the absorbents in the alimentary canal,and consequently only an insufficient quantityof nutrient matter is introduced into the system,thereby inducing a general wasting.When death does not result, the patient is fora long time, and frequently ever afterwards,subject to gastralgia, &c.

A lady once consulted me who, during awhole month, had taken every morning, whilefasting, a spoonful of citric acid with syrup.It had not the effect of reducing herembonpoint,but had given rise to painful sensationsin the stomach, which lasted for several years.I am sorry to say that I have known medicalmen, who, from their standing in the profession,ought to have set an example of prudence,when consulted in reference to the reductionof corpulence, have ventured to prescribe theuse of iodine, iodide of potassium, and even[64]arsenic in small doses. Patients whom I haveseen, and who have followed these prescriptions,have told me that they have been compelledto abandon them before obtaining thedesired effect, owing to the troublesome consequencesattending the use of these powerfulmedicinal agents. The law takes cognizanceof crime less serious than that committed bythe physician, who prescribes such poisonswhen not imperatively called for.

Many authors, both ancient and modern,and many physicians also, recommend, in orderto reduce obesity, that the patient should eata less amount by weight than the body loses.By such means a wasting of all the organs ofthe body would be simultaneously effected;not only fat, but muscle, nerve, tissue, blood—allmust suffer.

At the same time these authors universallyforbid the use of meat, and permit only anexclusively vegetable diet. Any one, afterreading the preceding pages, is competent tojudge how great must be the error of thesewriters, who always end, however, by affirmingobesity to be incurable. Incurable, no doubt,it is, by such treatment. But to diminishobesity, without affecting the general health,the patient must feed chiefly upon meat. Isay chiefly, because man, being naturally dis[65]posedto partake of both animal and vegetablefood, cannot live exclusively upon meat withoutprejudice to his general health. The useof a small quantity of vegetable matter willnot prevent the diminution of fat. At a futurepage the several alimentary substances will bearranged from a chemical point of view, in theorder they truly occupy as reducing or inducingobesity. For the present, it may be statedthat among alimentary substances, exclusiveof meat, those containing the greatest amountof water, such as watery vegetables, sweetfruits, &c., have an especial tendency to developfat. The result of my own observation, ina great number of cases, is in perfect accordancewith the chemical fact, viz., that the chiefconstituents of fat are also constituents ofwater. So that although a person should liveexclusively upon meat, and at the same timedrink a great deal, he would not experienceany perceptible reduction of fat. This affordsan explanation why many who eat very little,but drink large quantities of water, beer, cider,brandy or wine, labour under obesity. Whoeverdesires to avoid corpulence must thereforefeed chiefly upon meat, partaking very sparinglyof any other kind of food, and at thesame time should drink but little.

Nor can it be supposed that, although obe[66]dientto the previous directions, the vast massof fat existing in the body of an obese personwill disappear in the course of a few hours.They who are exceedingly anxious to get ridof it speedily, whether for appearance sake, orbecause it is productive of inconvenience, infirmityor ill-health, must make use, at thesame time, of those medicinal agents whichhelp its removal. Among substances havingan affinity for fat, the alkalis hold a prominentposition; and these, when administered in theusual medicinal doses, are productive of noinconvenience, but increase rather than lessenthe appetite, and aid the removal of fat. Soappills have been in vogue for centuries, for thecure of portal obstruction. Vichy water isalso recommended. The free alkali containedin the soap pills and in vichy water, is theactive agent in such cases. Many persons areknown to have grown thin while using Vichywater; and, on the other hand, many thinpersons have resumed their naturalembonpointunder its use. An emaciated patient, sufferingfrom liver disease, will regain his normalweight, on recovery from the disease, whetherusing Vichy water or not.

Cullen, in his Elements of the Practice ofPhysic, mentions a Dr. Fleming, who hadsometimes succeeded in reducing obesity by[67]the use of soap pills; and the author himselfrecommends, for the same purpose, abstinence,together with the use of alkalis, that is, to eatas little as possible of the least nutritive food,such as vegetables, and to drink water. Theauthor states, as the result of his observation,that fat persons must not be bled; that loss ofblood only weakens the system, and favors anincrease of obesity. Another author speaks ofthe value of alkaline baths in the treatment ofthe obese.

Under the head of "Obesity," in the Dictionaryof Medicine and Practical Surgery, wefind the following:—"Our colleague, Dr.Melier, has witnessed the speedy reduction ofgreat obesity in a lady, under the use of bicarbonateof soda and soda water, which hadbeen prescribed with another object in view.If this effect should prove constant, we mightbe inclined to agree with him, that alkalinesubstances are capable of inducing saponificationof fat in the living body, and that theresulting compound, being more soluble, ismore readily absorbed. Whatever may be theexplanation, it would be well to repeat theexperiment, and we shall endeavour to do soupon the first opportunity."

I am not aware that the experiment has beenrepeated; but if it has been, the result has[68]probably not proved satisfactory; because, forits success, the patient taking alkalis shouldbe fed chiefly upon meat, with a small quantityof vegetables, and but little drink. Failingthese conditions, alkalis are powerless. Casesdo occur, of persons growing thin, who intentionallyhave done nothing to reduce their fat.In the same way it might happen that whilemaking use of alkalis, without observing theprecepts laid down, the fat might disappear.Such a case would be exceptional, and extremelyrare.

Alkalis alone are incompetent to cure a caseof obesity: this is capable of chemical demonstration.If a supply of fat, equal in combiningproportion with the alkali ingested, be suppliedby means of food to the body, the actionof the alkali upon the previously deposited fatconstituting the obesity, must be null. Forthe speedy reduction of obesity, therefore, thefood must contain a less than ordinary amountof the elements of fat, by making it to consistchiefly of meat, and bringing about a reductionof the superabundant fat by means of alkalis,which should be administered in every varietyof form, in order not to induce a sense of disguston the part of the patient.

While undergoing this course of treatment,the person should not be called upon to make[69]the slightest change in his ordinary habits, orin the amount of his daily labour. His appetite,which ought to be excellent, should bealways satisfied; and while losing fat, he oughtto experience increase of muscular firmnessand vigour. Such have been the invariableeffects produced in those patients under myimmediate care, as will be fully shewn in thecases about to be reported.

After ten or twelve days of this mode oftreatment, and with the help of alkalis, obesicpatients experience a feeling of freedom fromoppression, and already a reduction of fat hasbecome apparent. This diminution continues;and by the end of the month, which is theshortest period of treatment, the weight hasbeen reduced to the extent of ten pounds atleast; but if the instructions have been rigidlyobserved, thirty pounds or even more. Andthis course may be continued for six monthsor longer, with marked improvement of thegeneral health.

In the month of August, 1849, M. Guénaud,a master baker, still residing in the Rue St.Martin, Paris, presented the following appearance:—Age,twenty-eight years; height, fourfeet eleven inches. His obesity was such thathe was scarcely able to walk, and whenever heattempted to do so, suffered from difficulty ofbreathing. When standing for a short time,he experienced great pain in the region of thekidneys. He was incapable of superintendingthe workshop and attending the flour market,duties which devolved upon him as manager ofan extensive bakery. An unconquerable drowsinessovercame him the moment he sat down,and rendered him unable to attend to hisnumerous accounts. When in bed he wasobliged to be propped up by a number of pillows,in a semi-recumbent position; for if hishead happened to be too low, he suffered fromvertigo, dizziness, &c. His countenance wassuffused, and the veins of the head, especiallythe temporal, were more than usually distended.The slightest exercise was attended with[71]excessive perspiration. The cerebral circulationwas so much impeded, that he could notbear even the pressure of a hat; and assertedthat he would not dare to stoop, even were itto insure him a fortune. In this distressingcondition he sought the advice of a physician,under whose directions he was repeatedly bled,and freely purged. He was recommended tolive upon the smallest quantity of food thatnature would permit, and to diet chiefly uponwatery vegetables, such as cabbage, turnips,salad, spinach, sorrel, &c., and only occasionallyto partake of a very small quantity ofmeat. He was also directed to use activeexercise, to work in the bake-house, and totake long walks. But he found it impossibleto follow the latter part of this advice, onaccount of a feeling of impending suffocation,and severe pains in the region of the kidneys.He was therefore recommended to take exerciseon horseback; but this even could not beborne, and in spite of every effort his obesitywas constantly on the increase. At last hecould not walk a quarter of a mile, and wasobliged to confine himself to the house, passinghis time in a listless, somnolent condition,entirely deprived of all mental and bodilyenergy. His mother, who lived in the neighbourhoodof Paris, having seen the advertise[72]mentof my book upon Obesity, and thinkingof the melancholy condition of her son, procureda copy and read it. She thereuponbrought her son in a carriage to my office.Guénaud was quite out of breath from havingto ascend one pair of stairs; he seated himselfupon a sofa in my room, and soon fell asleep.Occasionally he would wake up, and take somepart in the conversation. The mother and herson went home, and on the following dayGuénaud began to carry out the directions hehad received from me; and at the end of thirteendays he was able to walk from the PorteSt. Martin to La Chapelle, where his motherresided, delighted at having recovered the useof his legs. What astonished him most wasthat he had been able to perform the journeyon foot, without once taking his hat off. Thelatter remark may appear trivial; it shows,however, the great inconvenience he had beenwont to suffer from the violent perspirationhitherto induced by the slightest exercise. Bythe end of the month Guénaud had reduced hisweight from one hundred and ninety to onehundred and seventy-four pounds, and his circumferenceround the belly from fifty to forty-threeinches. He was recovering his activity,both of mind and body, and his respirationwas already considerably improved. The treat[73]mentwas continued two months longer, and atthe end of the three months his circumferencewas reduced fourteen inches, having lost fortypounds of fat. His muscular powers were nowmuch increased. Guénaud had a very shortneck; the two masses of fat, which made hischeeks appear continuous with his chest, havedisappeared. The line of the lower jaw is nowperfectly distinct, and without the slightestwrinkle. Instead of his former aged appearance,induced by obesity, his figure is nowyouthful, his countenance intelligent and sparkling.Before commencing my system of treatment,the patient was in continual danger fromthreatening head symptoms. It was generallysaid, even by the medical men under whosecare he had placed himself, that he sufferedfrom excess of blood; yet he has not lost asingle drop during the whole course of treatment,and is now free from somnolency, giddinessand headache. The veins of the head areno longer turgid, nor does he suffer from excessiveperspiration of the head.

I am satisfied that this man, at the presenttime, has more blood in his system than he hadwhen labouring under obesity; but the circulationbeing now free, all inconvenience hasdisappeared.

It is unnecessary to add that, owing to the[74]lungs being no longer oppressed on all sidesby a superabundance of fat, their movementis unimpeded, air finds easy access, and thedifficulty of breathing, with sense of impendingsuffocation, no longer exist. Guénaud cannow sleep in the ordinary recumbent position.Men of great corpulence, when walking, experiencesevere pain in the kidneys, and thisarises from the enormous mass of fat whichsurrounds these organs, inducing by its weighta dragging sensation. Guénaud, having losthis big belly, is no longer troubled with thisuneasiness when walking.

With respect to this patient, and in all theother cases which have come under my care,it may be well to remark that the muscularsystem has recovered its tone, and that themuscles are harder than they were before treatment;and I can safely say, without fear ofcontradiction, that every person who has beensubmitted to my system for the cure of obesity,is convinced that his flesh, his muscle, has increasedboth in firmness and in size.

I have had men under my care weighingtwo hundred and fifty pounds. Upon theoccasion of their first visit, having felt theirlimbs, I have said, "I can diminish yourweight by fifty pounds; but these enormousmuscles will be increased rather than dimin[75]ishedin size. You must not expect a reductionof more than fifty pounds; but fifty poundsless of fat, distributed among organs overloadedwith it, will be highly beneficial to health."

Guénaud is far from being thin, but he isstrong and muscular, and has the physical andmoral energy of a robust young man. Hisenormous size had rendered him conspicuousin that part of the city where he carried onhis business as a baker; but when he hadbecome reduced to the normal size of othermen, the change produced considerable sensation,and excited curiosity as to the cause.He has done justice to the treatment whichhas made him once more a man. I will alsodo him the justice to say that he has honestlycarried out my instructions. A beefsteak or acouple of cutlets, with a very small allowanceof vegetables, together with half a cup ofcoffee, constituted his breakfast. Dinner consistedof meat and a very small quantity ofvegetables. From being a great water-drinker,he had come down to an allowance of a bottleor a bottle and a half of liquid in a day. Whenthirsty he drank but little at a time; and betweenmeals, used to gargle his mouth withfresh cold water.

A lady, residing in the town of Montereau,wrote to me in the early part of September,[76]1849. She was twenty-six years of age, andweighed one hundred and seventy pounds.Her corpulence was increasing to such an extentthat she would soon be unable to attendto her household duties. She wished to knowif my system of treatment would interfere withher general health, and whether it would preventher pursuing her usual and indispensabledaily avocations. On receiving the necessaryexplanations, she immediately placed herselfunder my care, and upon the 23rd of the samemonth, she informed me that her weight wasalready considerably less, but that her sizeremained about the same. A letter of the 12thOctober following states that she has lost fifteenpounds weight, and that her size is materiallydiminished. The treatment was continuedfor some time longer, and never causedthe least interference with the discharge of herdomestic affairs.

In the course of the following year I receiveda communication from Widow Rollin, of Versailles,stating that she is the only support of alarge family, which necessitates great exertionson her part: that a daily increasing corpulencewith most troublesome abdominal enlargementgives rise to the most serious anxiety as to thefuture. Provided no interruption in her dailyduties be required she would cheerfully submit[77]to my treatment. She wrote after seventeendays trial of the system:—"My corpulence isperceptibly diminished, and I am no longerafflicted with drowsiness after meals. I followrigidly the instructions you have given me, andeach day feel more deeply indebted to you.At the end of the month I shall do myself thehonour of calling upon you, as it is my wish tocontinue under treatment until entirely freedfrom my encumbrance. I can now walk withease, which was for a long time an impossibility.The pain in the loins has likewise disappeared."

Mr. G. Chauvin, a lawyer, living at Castellane,in the department of the Lower Alps,owing to his increasing corpulency, was subjectto great inconvenience when speaking in court.He adopted my mode of treatment, and in oneof his letters, dated November, 1851, he says:"I have followed your directions, which haveeffected the result I was led to expect. Myfamily have expressed their astonishment atthe sudden and extraordinary diminution ofsize. But it has been effected without theslightest bad symptom: the bodily functionshave been duly discharged, and the treatmenthas been unattended with inconvenience ordanger, &c."

[78]

Madame d'Aries, a resident of Bilbao, inSpain, wife of the French Consul wrote to meon the 12th of May last:—"Following yourdirections, I have lost weight. Since my lasttwo confinements the abdomen had remainedunduly large: it is now much smaller. I feellighter. I have always been able to walkwithout experiencing much fatigue. It was agreat trouble, however, to move from my seat.A peculiar inward feeling, which was a sourceof great annoyance, has become almost imperceptible.I can go up stairs without bringingon shortness of breath, and the benefit derivedis as evident to myself as it is visible to others."

On the 12th of April, 1851, I received aletter from Mr. Roberts, of Tours, in which hesays:—"I am twenty-seven years of age, andweigh two hundred and six pounds. I fearthat my great corpulence, which is constantlyon the increase, may prove exceedingly troublesome.Having read your book, I am resolvedto give your method of treatment a fairtrial. You will oblige by giving me an explicitand detailed statement as to what is necessaryto be done, and by sending from Paris suchmedicines as may be necessary."

On the 22nd of the same month Mr. Robertswrote as follows:—"I weighed two hundredand six pounds, and now weigh only one hun[79]dredand ninety-two. I measured forty-threeinches in circumference, and now only thirty-oneinches. I am delighted with the successwhich has attended your system of treatment,and am happy to be able to inform you of it.Accept my sincere thanks, for I am indebted toyou for a condition which I despaired of everagain attaining. Yours truly,

"Roberts."

The following letter has been also received:

"Saint Dié, 24th Nov., 1850.

"Sir,—Having read your book on the treatmentof obesity, I wish to ask if you will undertakemy case, although living at a distanceof three hundred miles from Paris. I am fiftyyears of age, and possessed of a vigorous constitution.Since I have retired from business,now ten years ago, I have steadily increased incorpulence; my present weight being one hundredand eighty-nine pounds. I am troubledwith an affection of the heart, shortness ofbreath, and my legs swell, especially when nottaking much exercise on foot. I am not fondof walking, since it induces great fatigue. Mybelly has become much enlarged, and I amgreatly troubled with drowsiness. For breakfastI use coffee with milk, although I am notfond of it, but I find that it prevents headache,[80]to which I am otherwise subject, &c. Youwill oblige me by sending the necessary instructions,if you can take charge of my case,by the bearer of this letter, together with suchmedicines as you may direct.

"Yours, &c.      K."

In answer to Madame K., I sent her themedicine, together with the necessary information.On the 25th of February I received aletter, from which the following extracts aremade:—"Your directions have been scrupulouslyobserved for the past fifteen days. Itake a daily walk in the mountains, and to-daywas weighed. I have lost but four pounds:too small a reduction I fear; but perhaps duepartly to my temperament. The medicinerequires to be taken in larger doses, I think.Nevertheless I am well satisfied with the resultthus far, being now free from those troublesomepalpitations of the heart to which I havebeen hitherto subject."

The 9th of April following this lady wrote:"My legs do not swell as they used to do, andthe palpitations have ceased. I am delightedwith this good result of your method of treatment."

Nothing more was heard of Madame K.until the month of August in the followingyear. She then writes that in accordance with[81]the advice of the medical men of Saint Dié,she, together with her family, went to takethe waters of Plombières. That on her returnher legs were again swollen, and that she sufferedfrom palpitation of the heart, which gaverise to a choking sensation. She was desirousof again undergoing the anti-obesic treatment.On the 30th of September following she wrotethat she had followed my instructions duringthe last three weeks, and had lost only fourpounds in weight; but added, I have obtaineda much more valuable result, and that is, thealmost total release from my troublesome heartpalpitation. I have not since heard from thislady, but I have no doubt that she has beenonce more cured of her palpitation, and thatshe is no longer troubled with swellings of thefeet and legs. The loss of fat in this case hasbeen attended with freedom from palpitationof the heart, from shortness of breath, and fromswelling of the lower extremities. What explanationcan be given as to the cause of theseresults? As to her ailments, did they arisefrom an excess of blood in the system, or wasshe suffering from cardiac disease? Physiciansthought so and bled her, administered sedativesand alteratives, and restricted the diet of thepatient. Still they did not cure her. On theother hand I recommended her food should[82]consist of meat principally; that she should beallowed strong coffee and wine; which, togetherwith the employment of alkaline remedies,reduced her fat and effected a cure. The followingseason she goes, together with herfamily, to the springs, and returns thenceafflicted in the same way as before, and againmy mode of treatment produces the sameresult.

It is manifest that this heart affection, thisshortness of breath, depended upon obstructionto the heart's action, and not upon any excessof blood in the system, since I abstracted noblood, but on the contrary, administered stimulants,together with the use of full meat diet.The swollen limbs arose no doubt from a partialportal obstruction, and ceased when thereduction of fat was effected. It may be urgedthat the patient was better, or even cured, ofheart palpitation, before she had lost much inweight. She had lost, however, four pounds;and four pounds of fat occupy a large space.The fat in a living body is fluid and very light.A pound, therefore, is a large quantity. Whena person begins to lose his corpulency, the reductiontakes place first in the interior of thebody, and consequently there is a great improvementduring the first six or eight days inthe general health of obese patients, when[83]treated in accordance with the principles nowadvocated.

An English lady wrote to me from Dieppe,on the 15th of July, 1852. The following isan extract from her letter:—"Arrived hereonly a short time ago. I at once made trial ofyour plan for the cure of obesity, and havealready experienced considerable improvement.I have not yet had an opportunity of beingweighed, and therefore cannot assert positivelythat my actual weight is less than it was, butI certainly feel lighter, and my hands areneither so red nor so fat as formerly."

Madame Meuriot, an actress, then stayingat Chatellerault, addressed me under date the21st of August, 1851. Her letter is exceedinglylengthy and full of minutiæaelig;, that wouldbe improper to lay before the public. But sheinforms me that her weight in the course of asingle year had increased from one hundredand twenty to one hundred and seventy-fivepounds. In order to retain her theatricalengagements, she determined to use every possiblemeans to overcome this troublesomeembonpoint.She took her food in quantity barelysufficient to sustain nature; made use of seabiscuit instead of bread that she might eat less.For some time past she has been taking dailyforty drops of the tincture of iodine, under the[84]direction of a physician, but without appreciablebenefit. Every portion of the body wasloaded with fat, and the lower part of the legswere swollen. Having met with my book anddreading the effects of the iodine upon hergeneral health, she was anxious that I shouldadvise her. I did so; and sent the medicine,together with necessary directions from Paristo Perpignau, where she was then staying. Ireceived a letter from her on the 9th of Octoberfollowing, in which she says:—"I amhappy to inform you that your treatment hasbeen attended with the most satisfactoryresults. My legs are no longer swollen. Iwalk with greater ease than formerly, and mybreathing is no longer oppressed. I am unableto say how much my weight has decreased, nothaving ready access to platform scales; butmy gowns tell me that my size is less than itwas, yet not as small as could be desired." Inconclusion she wished to know whether shemight continue the treatment a month or twolonger, and if I thought so, to please send herthe requisite medicine. I did so, and heardnothing further from Madame de Meuriot untilthe month of August in the following year.She was then on her way to fulfil an engagementat Lille, and called to see me. She expressedgreat delight in having got rid of her[85]troublesomeembonpoint, and said that she hadnot been afflicted with swelling of the legssince placing herself under my treatment."But something has occurred which I did notin the least expect: since my corpulency hasleft me, I have becomeenceinte."

A letter from this lady, dated Lille, the 13thOctober last, begins thus:—"Since I last hadthe pleasure of seeing you, on the occasion ofmy departure from Paris, I have become fullysatisfied that I am in the family way, and havebeen so for the past eight months." My advicewas requested on some points havingreference to her then condition.

The preceding facts tend to shew that reducedcorpulency is favourable to conception.

Towards the latter end of 1850, the wife ofDr. Pecquet, of Paris, purchased my work onObesity. Having read it, she spoke to herhusband about it, who said that, like mostmedical men, he was persuaded that the onlyway to reduce corpulency, is to eat less thanthe system demands.

Madame Pecquet, then about sixty years ofage, had long been troubled with excessivecorpulency, and weighed two hundred andfifty pounds. She had, in consequence of thisaffliction, passed the greater part of the lasteighteen years either in her arm-chair or in[86]bed. According to some of the most celebratedphysicians of Paris, and also of herhusband, her disease at one time was said tobe pulmonary catarrh—at another time, diseaseof the heart—and again, something else;till at length Madame Pecquet had no rest,day or night.

If she attempted to go to sleep in the horizontalposition, she was immediately troubledwith a rush of blood to the head, accompaniedwith the most distressing hallucinations, whichutterly prevented her from sleeping. She wasunable to take exercise on foot, even when herailments allowed her any respite, owing to theexcessive pain she experienced in the regionof the kidneys, and the abundant perspirationof the head, which a walk of even a few stepswas sure to induce. It was consequently impossiblefor her to go out, unless in a carriage.Those only who are unable to enjoy this pleasure,know how great a privation it is not tobe able to take a walk on a fine day, and howwearisome it is to be compelled to make use ofa carriage in order to enjoy the advantages offresh air, or to move from place to place.

Madame Pecquet was so situated, and manya time she has said,—"Eighteen long yearshave I been in this condition! Eighteen yearsof suffering and misery, in spite of every[87]medical aid which has been bestowed uponme!" Under these circumstances, we canreadily understand how anxiously she musthave sought a means of cure. One day, withoutthe knowledge of her husband, she took acarriage, and called to consult me.

Those who believe as I do, that an excessivedevelopment of fat may induce and sustain agenerally diseased condition of body, willreadily admit that the diminution of excessiveobesity is the only rational means of cure insuch a case.

Impressed with this idea, Madame Pecquetcalled upon me, and placed herself under mycare. I prescribed some medicine, which shetook without the knowledge of her husband,who, although eating at the same table, didnot perceive that she partook of less vegetablesand ate a larger quantity of meat than usual.Having continued the treatment four months,Madame Pecquet said to her husband,—"Ihave been following the anti-obesic treatment,and weigh at the present time one hundredpounds less than I did before commencing it.Formerly I was confined to my arm-chair, inconsequence of catarrh or something else. Icould not walk fifty yards without stopping totake breath; and now I can go out every dayif I please, when the weather is fine. Night,[88]formerly so wearisome, is now a season ofdelightful and refreshing repose; and, in fine,I have recovered my health, after eighteenyears of continued suffering."

I again met this lady last year, and foundher in the enjoyment of perfect health. Shehad not regained herembonpoint, but was inall respects perfectly happy, and gratefullyascribed her recovery to my system of treatment.On the recommendation of this patient,Madame de M., in the month of June, 1852,requested me to call upon her. She was betweenthirty and thirty-five years of age, andduring the last eight years she had becomeenormously fat. She was ailing, and had beenunder treatment for almost every variety ofdisease. Most of the medical men whom shehad consulted, owing to the pain she complainedof, ascribed her trouble either to organicpulmonary lesion, to bronchial affection,or to disease of the heart. She had triedevery means of cure. Had been under thecare of many of the principal physicians tothe hospitals of Paris, and also of professors ofthe faculty. Deriving no advantage from these,she had consulted homœopathic practitioners,and had been treated by them unavailingly.In her despair, she had sought the advice of afemale clairvoyant; and in order that she[89]might obtain every possible benefit from thetreatment, had taken her into her own house—buther sad condition was in no wise ameliorated.

Possessed of a naturally active and energetictemperament, she was nevertheless compelledto remain seated in an arm-chair, yet could notlean back in it, owing to a sense of suffocationwhich such a position was sure to induce.When weary of this erect position, the onlyrelief she could obtain was by leaning uponher left elbow, resting on the knee of the sameside. If she attempted to recline upon theright side, she was subject to fits of coughingand suffocation. Her days were passed in thisposition: at night she was obliged to sit upright,without any support to her back; andwhen overcome with weariness, would fall forwardupon the left elbow, the only support shecould endure. Finally, however, in consequenceof the great and continued pressure ofthe weight of the body, the elbow became inflamed,an extensive sore formed upon it, anda pad for the elbow became necessary. Shehad scarcely any appetite, and had long sincegiven up the use of meat. She could walk alittle about her apartment, and although hersister had lived for the last six years in thehouse on the opposite side of the street, she[90]had not been able to visit her. Madame de M.although by no means tall, weighed betweenone hundred and eighty and one hundred andninety pounds. Under percussion the chestproved resonant throughout, and air enteredfreely the whole extent of the lungs. By theaid of the stethoscope a râle was heard in bothlungs. Beneath both clavicles there existedscars, the result of blisters and cauteries. Andthe whole surface of the chest and the pit ofthe stomach were covered with the marks ofleech bites. There were no febrile symptoms.Complexion blonde, with a remarkably fairskin and large blue eyes, which seemed neverto have known pain. Under such circumstancesno organic lesion either of the lungs, thebronchi, or of the heart could be suspected:and I was satisfied that the great disturbanceof health in the case of this lady arose fromexcessive obesity. Having placed herself undermy treatment, she experienced relief the firstweek, and, at the end of a fortnight, Madamede M. had perceptibly grown thinner. Onemorning, when calling to see her, I was toldthat she had gone for a ride to the Bois deBoulogne, and that she had been out also theday before, and was able to get in and out ofthe carriage without assistance. She continuedto lose herembonpoint and her health became[91]thoroughly re-established. She was able to liedown in bed, and upon either side. At theend of the month she visited friends whom shehad not called upon for the last six or eightyears, and six weeks or two months after commencingmy treatment, she danced repeatedlyat a ball given by her sister upon the occasionof her recovery. Until then she had not worncorsets for the last six years.

It was not until the month of October following,that I again had occasion to see Madamede M. Not feeling well, she sent for me. Shehad caught cold the day before, when returninglate in the evening from the country, and wasslightly feverish. She was, however, quite wellagain in a day or two. The last two years shehas enjoyed excellent health, although, likemost other ladies, she is occasionally subject totrifling nervous attacks. In the enjoyment ofhealth and riches, she leads the fashionable lifeof a gay young lady. How forcibly does herpresent condition contrast with the previouseight long years, passed in weariness and suffering!

In the month of June, 1852, Mr. Lucian Eté,chief operator in the chemical works of Mr.Christofle, silverer and gilder, Rue de Bondy,sought my advice in reference to his corpulence,which gave him much anxiety, as he[92]feared that he would be obliged to give upwork. The sole support of a numerous family,it required his utmost efforts to go through theduties of the day. Obliged to be constantlyin motion, and frequently to go up and downstairs, he suffered great pain in the kidneys,and was often so much out of breath that itwas almost impossible for him to speak whengiving his orders or explanations. His headwas constantly bathed in perspiration; and ifhe attempted to sit down for a moment, he wasimmediately seized with an irresistible drowsiness.He had been repeatedly bled and purged,but without any salutary effect.

Lucian Eté followed my plan of treatmentfor two months. During the first month helost from fifteen to twenty pounds of fat. Ido not recollect how much he lost in the secondmonth, but at the end of this time he was so farreduced that further treatment was unnecessary.Let it be observed, that during the twomonths he was under treatment, he was notabsent a single day from his duties in thefactory.

I heard from Lucien d'Eté last year. Hewas then in the enjoyment of perfect health,and his corpulence had not returned.

Mons. Desrenaudes, living in the Rue duFaubourg St. Honoré, became very corpulent[93]in a comparatively short time. This was asource of great inconvenience to him, from thefact, that being much devoted to the pleasuresof the turf, his increased weight unfitted himfor the saddle. During the year 1852, he followedmy system of treatment for two months,and obtained most satisfactory results, and, asin every other case, without necessitating theslightest interference with his daily avocations.

Madame d'Hervilly, residing in garrison atElbœuf, with her husband, a captain in the2nd regiment of the line, having met with mytreatise on Obesity, came to Paris in order toconsult me. After her return to Elbœuf, sheadopted my system of treatment, and a fortnightafterwards wrote as follows:

"6th July.—Your predictions have beenverified. I am now in excellent health, andno longer suffer from the great oppression towhich I was formerly subject during hot weather.Your medicine, according to my experience,is everything that can be desired; butI have been a sufferer for the last thirty years,and it will take some time to effect a perfectcure. I have not perceptibly diminished insize, but am sensible of a peculiar freedom ofmotion of the internal organs. My husbandalso intends shortly to put your system inpractice."

[94]

On the 11th August, this lady wrote again,to say that she was still pursuing the treatment;that she had not weighed herself, butwas then several inches less in circumferencethan before.

The treatment was continued, and she becamethin. Her husband subsequently adoptedthe system for a month, and derived greatadvantage from it. I cannot say how much hisweight was diminished; but his great desirewas to get rid of an unsightly cushion of fat,situated upon the back of his neck. I learnfrom Madame d'Hervilly that this unmilitary-likeappendage has disappeared.

On the 7th August, 1852, M. Alcide Desbouillonswrote to me from Brest, to the effectthat his corpulence was a source of great inconvenience;that his duties required him tobe much on horseback, and consequently inhot weather he suffered greatly from fatigue.He weighed two hundred pounds, and measuredforty-nine inches in circumference. Onthe 2nd September, after twenty days' trial ofmy system, and, as he says, perhaps not asrigorously carried out as it should have been,he weighed himself again, and obtained thefollowing result: Weight, one hundred andeighty-nine pounds: circumference, forty-fiveinches. Twenty days after this he weighed[95]one hundred and eighty-seven pounds, andmeasured forty-three inches in circumference.This was but a slight difference; yet M. Desbouillons,after the first few days of treatment,could walk with less difficulty, was more active,and was no longer bathed in perspiration. Inhis last letter he says, "I am continuing yourplan of treatment, and expect to find a notableamelioration both in size and weight. Theeffects produced by your medicine have beenin perfect accord with what you had led me toexpect. The experiment appears so far conclusive,and I trust that my case will provethoroughly demonstrative."

If free from prejudice, and willing to acknowledgethe truth of that which is manifest,the cases we have just cited ought to satisfyany candid enquirer that obesity may be entirelyovercome without prejudicially affectingthe general health. At first sight, this wouldappear undeniable; yet medical writers, whohave hitherto insisted that a meat diet isconducive to the development of fat, and thatvegetables have an opposite tendency, will notfrankly acknowledge their error.

Physicians who have derived their knowledgefrom books, and from the lectures oftheir teachers, must find it difficult to changetheir opinions in reference to obesity. With[96]the public, when any one is told that theimbibition of large quantities of water is productiveof fat, and that feeding upon animalfood induces leanness, a similar degree ofdoubt is excited as when Galileo assertedthat the sun did not revolve around the earth.On the publication of the first edition of mytreatise upon Obesity, I experienced a degreeof impatience, and even irritation, in view ofthe systematic opposition which a self-evidenttruth received at the hands of the medicalprofession. At the present time, however, Icalmly recognize that the same happened inthe case of every attempted innovation. I callto mind how Galileo endangered his very existence.Vesalius, the founder of anatomy, wassaved from the stake only by the interferenceof his sovereign. Harvey, the discoverer ofthe circulation, was compelled to seek royalprotection from the attacks of the medical menof his day. Peysonnel, a physician of Marseilles,and a great naturalist, devoted himselfto the study of corals and madrepores. In1727, he laid before the Academy of Sciencea monogram, proving to demonstration thatcorals and madrepores are structures due toanimal life; that what Dioscorides, Pliny,Linnæus, Lamarck, Tournefort, &c. &c. hadthought to be flowers, are in truth animals;[97]and that these living creatures constructed andaugmented their abodes; the Academy, likemost learned bodies, admitted as truth onlythat which it taught, and consequently paidno attention to this memoir, which, nevertheless,was destined to produce an entire changein a large department of natural history.When, long afterwards, Trembley publishedhis discoveries on fresh-water polypes, the studiesof Dr. Peysonnel in this direction wereremembered, and naturalists were forced toadmit that the physician of Marseilles wasright in maintaining that what had been takenfor flowers are in reality animals. His claimas the discoverer of a fact which was destinedto effect an important revolution in an extensivedepartment of natural history, has sincethen not been disputed, nor could it be. Allmen, and men of science especially, requiretime before yielding to evidence, when thatevidence is in opposition to preconceivedviews, and interferes with personal interest.

The system I have introduced progresses,and, as some might say, works wonders, andeffects cures in France, in England, in Belgium,in Austria, in Russia, in Turkey, inAfrica; and in almost every instance, mypatients are persons occupying prominent positions—magistrates,state authorities, general[98]officers, or men of wealth, who have enjoyedthe advantages of a good education, and areable to judge of and appreciate the merits ofmy mode of treatment. The judgment ofsuch a tribunal should convince the incredulous.This is no matter of faith. I lay claimto the possession of no revelation, which is notto be explained, or which is to rest solely uponmy assertion. I do not say that my discoveryis a mystery, and that it is your part to believein it. Under such circumstances, disbeliefwould not astonish me, notwithstanding allthe cases of cure brought forward; but whenthe nutrition of the body is explained in accordancewith the laws of nature, when it is shewnto be in conformity with the well understoodlaws of chemistry, and that facts are cited, inreference both to man and the lower animals,in support of these phenomena, I confess thatopposition to this system excites my astonishment.Physicians cannot by any possibilityadvance sufficient reasons against a systemwhich, when once explained, must appear self-evidentto every one.

Another fact in support of this system mustbe submitted to my readers. What would amedical man say if I should venture the followingpiece of advice: You have a horseyou wish to dispose of. He is a good beast,[99]and travels well, but he is thin. If he werefatter, he would look better, and you could sellhim to greater advantage. Make him fat; andif, in order to do this, I advised him to givehis horse a double allowance of oats, he wouldonly laugh at me. He would say; why, everybodyknows that if you wish to fatten a horse,the best way is to give him, in addition to anabundance of hay, bran, mixed with plenty ofwater, or in other words, bran mashes; or thehorse may be sent to pasture, to live upongrass, which is composed principally of waterand a small proportion of ligneous matter.Under such circumstances, the horse will makefat, and his form will become more round andplump; but if, when he was thin, he was ableto travel thirty miles without sweating andwithout fatigue, now that he is fat he willscarcely be able to go five without beingcovered with sweat, and without shewing manifestsigns of fatigue. When thin, he was agood horse; but being fat, he has lost his bestqualities, which can be restored only by feedinghim again upon less bulky food, with a dueallowance of oats, and a small proportion ofwater.

I have been informed that the gentleman incharge of the stud of King Charles X. availedhimself of the knowledge of this fact, and[100]allowed only half the usual quantity of waterto the horses under his charge, and that thisplan was attended with the most satisfactoryresults, the horses being thereby able to endurea greater amount of fatigue than under a fullallowance of water.

To return to the cases of cure. Madam C.,a landed proprietor, living in the Rue de laConcorde, at Paris, went to take the waters inGermany, in the year 1851. On her return,she made trial of my system, on account ofexcessive corpulence. Meeting with the usualsuccess, she thought it would be of greatadvantage to a young lady, a friend, whom shehad left behind her at the watering place, andwho was then in bad health. This young person,about twenty-three years of age, was veryfat, and irregular in her menstrual periods.She was of lymphatic temperament, very pale,and rarely partook of meat: her ordinary foodconsisted of vegetables, sweetmeats, cakes andsweet fruits; water was her principal beverage.At the pressing instance of Madam C., Miss C.visited Paris, in order to be under my care.After following my directions for a fortnight,her health was much improved. Her parentsthen came to Paris, and I continued in attendanceon Miss C. for three months. At theexpiration of this time, she returned with her[101]parents to Brussels. She had lost much of herfat, and had become regular. She ate meatprincipally, both at breakfast and dinner, anddrank wine. I may lay claim, in the case ofthis young lady, to have effected a completechange of temperament. With but triflingmenstrual flow, and great pallor, she was graduallyprogressing to a state of obesity, whichwould have proved entirely destructive tohealth, which would have ended in a total suppressionof the menses, and ultimately in death.But now, having overcome her obesity, themenstrual flow has become normal in quantity,the digestive powers have resumed their functionalactivity, so that she can partake of meatand wine, and in every respect her constitutionis fully restored. Should she marry, she willin all probability have a family, which wouldhave been very doubtful had she married whilein the previous obese condition; and if shehave children, her accouchements will be comparativelyfree of danger, and her sufferingsmuch less; for it is well known that very corpulentfemales have more difficult labours thanthose of ordinaryembonpoint; while the offspringof the latter are at the same time healthier.The same rule applies in the case of thehuman female as with other mammalia; whenfat, conception is of more rare occurrence; and[102]when they do conceive, they are very liable tomiscarry. When, however, they go to the fullperiod of gestation, the progeny of a very fatmother is almost always lean, and possesseslittle vitality. Moreover, the milk of a veryfat mother is neither so abundant nor so nutritiousas that of a moderately thin mother.

M. Albert C. was an officer in the 4th Hussarregiment. He became so corpulent that hewished to exchange into the gendarmery. In1852, he was appointed lieutenant in thisbranch of the service. His new position, however,still required him to be much on horseback;and when required to travel any distance,and to trot for a short time, he sufferedmuch from difficulty of breathing, and complainedof a sense of oppression in the regionof the heart. It seemed as though the hearthad not sufficient space for the execution of itsmovements. Feeling naturally anxious abouthis health, he wrote to me desiring to placehimself under my care. Impressed with theidea that his trouble was consequent upon hisexcessive corpulence, I gave him advice, whichhe followed for several weeks; but in consequenceof a severe wound in the leg, whichobliged him to keep his bed, and undergo asurgical operation, he left off my plan of treatment.Some time afterwards, he fell sick; he[103]was bled, leeched, &c., and partially recoveredhis health; but the heart affection became exceedinglytroublesome, especially when onhorseback. His physician advised him to returnto Paris. On his arrival, he resumed mysystem of treatment, and after a fortnight experiencedgreat relief; his appetite had improved,he slept well, and the pain which hehad suffered in the region of the heart disappeared.When he came to Paris, he wasscarcely able to walk, but at the end of fifteendays he could walk all over the city. Hishealth became thoroughly re-established onthe loss of his obesity, and he was enabled toresume his military duties.

On the 18th of February, 1853, I received aletter from Mr. L., superintendent of a royalfactory at Annecy, in Savoy, in which he says:"You were kind enough to send on the 20thof April, 1851, medicine sufficient for twomonths of anti-obesic treatment. Your directionswere scrupulously attended to during thefirst month, and I experienced considerablebenefit—in fact I lost nine pounds in weight,and felt more active and much more fit forbusiness. Circumstances prevented my continuingthe treatment during the second monthand the medicine has been lost. After thelapse of two years I am anxious to resume[104]your plan of treatment, &c." It is now a yearsince Mr. L. wrote to me, when I sent him allthat was requisite. I have not since heardfrom him by letter, but I know that the secondtreatment was equally satisfactory. Owing tohis favorable report of my system, a notary ofAnnecy, during the course of last summer,sought my advice. I am also indebted to himfor other patients.

In the month of June, 1853, Madame de L.,of Amiens, consulted me on her own behalf,and also on that of her husband—both labouringunder obesity. I gave her the necessarydirections, together with medicine sufficient tolast two months. She wrote to me on the 2ndof July in the following terms:

"Sir,—In fulfilment of my promise, I sendyou a statement of the result of your treatment.My husband has lost eleven pounds inweight, and enjoys excellent health. As formyself, owing to severe indisposition after myreturn home from Paris, I have only adoptedyour treatment during the last eight days.Please inform me whether the medicine youfurnished to me a month ago is too old to beof any service.

"I have the honour, &c.,
"F. L."

[105]I answered this letter, and no doubt the ladyhas derived as much benefit as her husbandfrom the treatment.

"Nismes (Gard) 4th Aug., 1853.

"Sir,—I have read with much interest thesecond edition of your precepts, based uponchemistry, for the diminution of obesity, andhave carefully examined every statement youhave so clearly set forth. The result is, that Iam anxious to follow your advice, and to placemyself under your course of treatment. I ama doctor of philosophy and professor in theImperial Lyceum at Nismes. During mywhole life I have struggled against this terribleobesity, but almost always in vain. NeverthelessI have succeeded upon two occasions: thefirst, about twenty years ago, by travelling onfoot for three months among the forests andmountains of the north of Europe; the secondtime, about twelve years ago, by dint of continuedand intense intellectual labour. Owingto the sedentary nature of my duties, obesityhas since returned in a more threatening manner,and is no doubt the exciting cause of manyailments to which I am now subject, such asaccumulation of mucus in the air passages,giving rise to cough, more especially troublesomebecause I am obliged to talk during thegreater part of the day; cold feet, with swel[106]lingof the legs and ankles, &c., so that I amno longer able to perform the duties uponwhich my daily bread depends. My medicalattendant can do nothing for me. He hasprescribed purgatives and a vegetable diet,without any good result. I have taken thousandsof Morrison's pills, and am worse ratherthan better, and now my mind is made up tomake a trial of your plan of treatment, in fullconfidence that a cure may yet be accomplished.

"Doctor Halberg,
"Professor at the Imperial Lyceum of Nismes."

On the 8th of June Dr. Halberg wrote:

"I find myself infinitely better, my breathingis easy, and I am considerably reduced insize. My great desire is that the swelling inmy legs may wholly disappear.

"Dr. Halberg."

Towards the latter end of 1851, MadameWimy, from the town of Marle, came to consultme in reference to her husband, who waslabouring under obesity to such a degree as tobe unable to attend to his business. I gaveher the necessary advice, together with somemedicine. On the 19th of December MadameWimy told me by letter that her husband hadalready much improved, that his breathingwas easier, he was more capable of exertion,[107]and that his corpulence had notably diminished.This lady again wrote to me in the followingyear, requesting a further supply of medicine.She said:—"My husband, before commencingyour treatment, weighed two hundred andseventy pounds: he now weighs only two hundred,and hopes to weigh still less. You areno doubt in the frequent receipt of lettersseeking advice, for we have many inquiriesfor your address."

In truth the case of M. Wimy has broughtme a great many patients. Anxious to knowwhether he still continued my plan of treatment,and wishing to introduce a statement ofhis case in this the third edition of my work, Iwrote to M. Wimy on the 16th of October lastand received the following reply:

"Marle, 19th Oct., 1853.

"Sir,—In your letter of the 16th, you requestedme to give a somewhat detailed statementof my case. I commenced the treatmentunder your directions, the latter part of 1851,and continued it during the early part of 1852.My weight was two hundred and seventypounds, and I measured sixty-one inches incircumference. I walked with great difficulty—sufferedmuch pain in the kidneys—my legswere swollen. I had a constant cough, and[108]was much troubled with drowsiness. Immediatelyafter adopting your system, my fatbegan to disappear, my appetite improved,and, after a few months, my weight was reducedto one hundred and sixty pounds, andmy circumference to thirty-two inches. Myhealth is now excellent. Being landlord ofthe Golden Lion Hotel, at Marle, where thestages put up, my recovery is known to agreat many; and travellers who stopped atmy house two years ago, when I was labouringunder obesity, on seeing me at present,and noticing the wonderful change which hastaken place, invariably ask by what means ithas been effected.

"It always affords me great pleasure to acknowledgethat my cure is due to your systemof treatment.

"I have the honour to be, &c.,
"Jules Wimy.

"Golden Lion Hotel,
Marle, Aisne."

A person who visited Marle about fourmonths ago, and who had not seen M. Wimysince the great change had been effected in hisappearance, was much astonished, and madeinquiries respecting the cure. Some time afterwards,this person met, at Orleans, a wealthy[109]gentleman, about forty years of age, sufferingfrom obesity, and told him what he had witnessedat Marle; recommending him at thesame time to visit Paris, in order that hemight have the advice of the doctor who hadfreed Wimy from his excessive fat. Thisgentleman wrote to Marle, before coming toParis, and received a satisfactory answer.

He called to consult with me, saying thathe wished to place himself under my care,provided that it would not interfere with hisbusiness or with his usual habits. He is postmasterat Orleans, and, previous to the buildingof the railroad, had a great deal of businessto attend to. Having many more horses thannecessary for his business at Orleans, he hasopened a livery stable in Paris. He is consequentlyobliged to attend all the fairs andmarkets, in order to purchase horses and provenderfor his two establishments,—the one atParis and the other at Orleans, and is almostconstantly travelling between these two cities,and therefore leads a life of great activity.He weighs two hundred and twenty-twopounds, and wishes to lose fifty pounds of fat,but he cannot afford to lose a day from hisbusiness.

My reply to Mr. M. was, that so far frommy treatment demanding any cessation from[110]work, it would rather give him strength tocarry it on. He began the treatment tenweeks since, and has already lost betweentwenty-eight and thirty pounds of fat; and,as I had promised, without causing him theloss of a single day.

It is said, that in order to be understood andbelieved, it is necessary to repeat the samething over and over again. But all thingsmust have an end; and all the cases which Imight yet report, would still end in diminutionof obesity. It may be said, however,that, like most medical writers, I reportonly favourable cases, and conceal those whichare unfavourable. My answer is, that I havenever treated a single case in which a favourableresult has not been obtained, providedthe patient has observed my directions foreven eight days; and I am satisfied that if anyone could be found to say that he has not beenbenefited, that it would be because he has notbeen willing to carry out the treatment foreven eight days. It has no doubt frequentlyhappened that a patient has consulted me, andhas then followed my directions for two, three,or even four days, and then, for some cause,has given them up: under these circumstancesit might be said that no benefit has been derived.

[111]Many such cases have occurred. In one instance,a wealthy man, a gold-beater by trade,living in Paris, sought my advice. He followedmy system for several weeks, withoutsuccess. One day I said to him, "I can onlyexplain your want of success by attributing itto excessive drinking. You live upon meatprincipally, it is true; but how much liquiddo you imbibe daily?" His answer was,—"Icannot abstain from drinking when thirsty,and my thirst is frequent. I spend the wholeday in the factory, among fifteen or twentyworkmen, and the heat is necessarily great,as the nature of our manufacture demands it,and I am therefore obliged to drink a greatdeal." I consequently recommended him to abstainfrom further trial of a system which,under these circumstances, could not possiblybe of any benefit.

We meet with people who make, or seem tomake, a resolution to live according to a certainplan, for eight or ten days, and who, likespoiled children, forget the very next day theresolution they had made. I have met withmany such cases. One would scarcely believethat a lady, reduced to despair on account ofher obesity, and threatening to commit suicideunless relieved of herembonpoint, could promisethat she would obey my instructions to[112]live chiefly upon a meat diet, and to abstainfrom inordinate quantities of fluid, yet thevery next day would resume her customarymode of living;—breakfasting upon eggs, preserves,and two or three cups of sweetenedtea; and dine upon rich pastry and sweetmeats,accompanied with a full allowance ofchampagne. I could not have believed itpossible had I not witnessed it myself.

Men generally carry out my directions morefaithfully than women, being firmer and morepersevering in their resolves.

I am almost angry at times with this wantof perseverance in persons who boast that theyhave carried out my treatment without success.It would be an easy matter to shewthat the want of success in such cases is entirelytheir own fault.

A young lady of one of the most illustriousfamilies of France, and married to a wealthyforeign nobleman, consulted me in the monthof May, 1853, in reference to her corpulence.She told me that her cousin, the Duchess of X.,had derived great benefit from my treatment;and from what she had witnessed in her case,she was induced to place herself under mycare. She promised to commence my systemon the following day.

A few days afterwards I saw her. She told[113]me she had forgotten to take her medicine theday before. In subsequent visits, she confessedthat she had not taken any medicine,either because she had been up very late theprevious evening and had laid in bed late thatmorning, or that she had been spending a dayor two in the country; or that, having beenout for an early ride, she had forgotten allabout it. On the occasion of my last visit,she told me that she was going for some timeto her country-seat, and from thence intendedto visit a watering-place. The Baroness didnot follow my treatment for three days consecutively,and consequently lost nothing ofherembonpoint. Under such circumstances,want of success ought surely not to be attributedto inefficacy of the treatment.

A very corpulent professor adopted mysystem for eight days, and lost three poundsand a half in weight. Being relieved at thesame time from a sense of oppression whichhad continually troubled him, he was delighted,and spoke of the happy results tomany of his acquaintances. Unfortunatelyat this time he received from the country apresent of a large basket of grapes, and beingvery partial to them, neglected my instructions,and partook of them inordinately as longas they lasted. The consequence is, that the[114]professor is as fat as ever, although he hadfollowed my plan of treatment for eight days.Now whose fault is this? Nevertheless, hisacquaintances, to whom he had spoken ofbeing under my care, will attribute the failureto me. I shall see him again, no doubt, someof these days, when in danger of suffocation.

The reader who has perused the precedingcases of cure, may say that I have omitted tospeak of obesity accompanied with skin disease,and in my introduction mention has beenmade of its frequency. In truth, many suchcases have been met with; but skin disease,in my opinion, is of such a nature that it isbetter not to give a hint even of the parties inwhom it has been met with and cured at thesame time with co-existing corpulence.

My method of reducing obesity being thusfrankly explained, is perhaps likely to lose itsvalue in the eyes of many, owing to its extremesimplicity. M. Desbouillons, of Brest,a patient whom I successfully treated, wroteto me on the 15th August, 1853:—"On readingyour treatise a second time, I cannot butexpress my astonishment that the medicalfaculty should so long have failed to discoverthe means which you now so successfully employfor the cure of obesity."

Having accomplished the object I had in[115]view, it matters not whether it be the result oflittle study or of long and deep enquiry intothe secrets of animated nature; my satisfactionconsists in having destroyed those falseand prejudicial doctrines which had existedfor ages in the writings and teachings of philosophers,and in having demonstrated a truthdestined to render important services to ourcommon humanity.

It is to be borne in mind, that in dividingalimentary matter into two kinds—one fittedto develop fat, and the other having an oppositetendency—my object is merely to suit theindispensable requirements of my plan of treatment.Nor is the conclusion to be drawn, thatin order to diminish corpulence, an exclusivemeat diet is absolutely necessary. Man is omnivorous;that is to say, he partakes of everythingentering into the composition of ordinaryalimentation; but, for the purposes of mysystem, azotized substances should constitute,though not exclusively, his principal food.

Large quantities both of animal and vegetablesubstances compose the ordinary diet ofman. According to some philosophers, manshould live on flesh only; while others maintainthat man is by nature a vegetable feeder.Most naturalists, however, are agreed that thehuman species is omnivorous; that is to say,[117]can live both upon vegetable and animal matter.A certain proof, in my opinion, that suchis the case, is to be found in the fact that manis provided with the two kinds of teeth, theone appertaining especially to carnivorous, andthe other to herbivorous animals.

It is remarkable that man, in his presentstate of civilization, does not instinctivelyrecognize the kind of food which is beneficialor prejudicial to his well-being. Experiencealone teaches him what is good or bad. Withthe lower animals it is otherwise; they havethe power to discern that which is suitablefor food. The colt and the kid know how toselect, among the varied herbage, the particulargrasses which are suitable to their organization.Domesticated animals, having but aninsufficiency of food, do sometimes partake ofnoxious plants. It may be that man, in consequenceof his civilization, has lost that instinctpossessed by the lower animals, and in blindconfidence partakes of everything which isserved to him in the shape of food; and thisview derives support from the fact, that savages,and people but partially civilized, refuseto eat anything they are unacquainted with, nomatter how temptingly it may be prepared.

The uneducated peasantry of France, at thisday, will not taste food to which they are un[118]accustomed,or if they do, it is only with greatmistrust.

It is matter of daily experience, that mancan simultaneously feed upon both vegetableand animal matter, and can also live whenrestricted to one of these alone; such restriction,however, being better borne under thevaried conditions of age, season and climate.

From these considerations it follows that, forthe accomplishment of a given purpose, manhas the privilege of selecting certain alimentarysubstances, and of refusing many others;the health of the individual, who may thussubmit to the diet of his choice, being in nowise affected thereby.

Bearing in mind the well established principlesof physiology and chemistry, together withthe precepts set forth in the preceding pages,we may be safely guided in the selection ofsuch alimentary substances as will conduce tothe fixity of a certain condition ofembonpoint,although having a tendency to redundancy;or which, on the other hand, will insure adiminution of obesity. Such results can beobtained by paying attention to the followingremarks:

That kind of meat known as game is verynutritious, occupies but small space, and consequentlyonly moderately distends the alimen[119]tarycanal. It contains but a small amountof carbon, relatively to the other compounds,and therefore should be used as much as possible:such as venison, hare, the warren rabbit,woodcock, snipe, partridge, quail, plover, wildduck, &c.

The fluid portion of all ragouts should beavoided by those who dread corpulence, andgame should therefore be roasted rather thanstewed. The same may be said of butcher'smeat, such as surloin of beef, beefsteak, vealcutlet, mutton chop, fresh pork, leg of mutton,&c. Gelatinous dishes, such as calves' feetand tripe, should be avoided. Poultry, whenroasted, is not contra-indicated.

It is a matter of observation, that thoseraces which live chiefly upon fish are gross anddull, pale and lymphatic, and less courageousthan such as live upon flesh. A fish diet isconsequently favourable to the development offat, and the usual accompaniment of buttersauce is also productive of a like result.

The anti-obesic treatment, therefore, requiresthat fish should be partaken of sparingly;still it has been remarked that patients, whileundergoing treatment, who eat principally ofmeat, with a very small amount of fish, donevertheless succeed in the accomplishment ofthe object they have in view. The most nutri[120]tiousfish are turbot, trout, sole, salmon, perch,pike, tench and carp. On the other hand, shellfish, such as oysters, lobsters, crabs and shrimps,have a tendency to impede the formation of fat.

Vegetables, such as lettuce, chicory, sorel,artichokes, spinach, green pease, beans, cabbage,celery, and all such as are used by wayof salad, are not very nutritive, but containmuch watery and mucilaginous matter, favourableto the development of corpulency: thesame may be said of carrots, turnips, potatoes,rice, beet-root, maccaroni and vermicelli bread;all kinds of cakes, pastry and biscuits, whichare made of wheaten flour, are decidedly contra-indicated,as are also eggs, cream, cheeseand butter.

In reference to chocolate, much difference ofopinion has hitherto existed as to its nutritiousproperties; but we know by experience that itis easy of digestion, and eminently suited tosuch as are subject to great mental exertion.Some dietists have held that chocolate has atendency to prevent any augmentation of corpulency.When made with water, it is decidedlypreferable to coffee made with milk, thelatter being productive of fat. Milk, by virtueof its composition, combines all the elementswhich are fitted for the development and nutritionof the body; casein containing nitrogen,[121]a fatty matter (butter), and a saccharine substance(sugar of milk).

Chemistry reveals the remarkable fact, thatthe composition of casein or the cheesy portionof milk, is identical with that of the fibrinand albumen of the blood. Under this aspect,therefore, milk is very nutritious.

The sugar and butter which exist in milk,have no analogy with flesh; according to analysis,they are composed of carbon and the elementsof water. When, therefore, we partakeof milk, we obtain in one and the same substanceall the elements which are necessary forthe growth and nutrition of the body, and suchis the case in infant life. Since, however, bothcarbon and hydrogen, in very large proportion,enter into the composition of milk, it is advisable,whenever there is a manifest tendency tocorpulence, that the use of it as an article ofdiet should be avoided. Infants are usuallyfat, owing to the elements of adipose matterforming so large a proportion of their food,whether that consist of milk alone, or in combinationwith starchy or farinaceous and saccharinesubstances.

With few exceptions, the corpulent, bothmale and female, drink a great deal with theirmeals; and I am more and more convinced,by daily experience, that the large amount offluid thus imbibed has powerfully contributedto produce their present condition. It maybe said that it is constitutional with them torequire so much drink. I grant that manypersons are in the habit of drinking a greatdeal more than others, and even that they areconstitutionally so inclined; but I cannot allowthat they are compelled to drink as much asthey do. Habit exercises a powerful influenceover all our actions; and I have no doubt that,notwithstanding the existence of a natural predispositionto drink a great deal at meal time,the inclination might be held in check, by notyielding too easily to the desire. Many people,without thinking, increase and stimulate theirthirst by making use of highly seasoned dishes;it would be well that they should exercise cautionin this respect. Even when using a moderateamount of beverage, a selection as to kindis necessary. Beer and cider being especially[123]rich in aqueous and mucilaginous matter, areby virtue of these elements particularly proneto the production of corpulence. All kindsof drink, when taken in excess, act rather asdepressants than stimulants of the nervouscentres, and a want of physical and mentalactivity, alike predisposes to obesity.

Alcoholic drinks of every kind tend to thedevelopment of fat, owing to the large amountof the carbonaceous element they contain.Men who use brandy in excess are frequentlyso puffy and soft that you can scarcely discoverthe presence of muscular tissue beneaththe skin. When blood is abstracted fromsuch persons, it is found to be thin, and tocontain a less amount of the most importantof the sanguineous elements. We must notdeceive ourselves; fat is not to be taken alwaysas an evidence of strength, but, on thecontrary, should be regarded as indicative ofwant of tone and of vital power, as in thecase of the aged, who are frequently corpulentthough infirm; young chlorotic females;persons deprived of a due supply of fresh air;and such as make use of an excessive amountof alcoholic drink. With respect to the last,it may be said, perhaps, that some are to bemet with who, far from being corpulent, areexcessively thin, in consequence of drinking[124]large quantities of brandy; and such is indeedsometimes the case, but it is due to the fact thatsome essential organ of the body is sufferingunder the pernicious influence. And althoughthe person may have been, at a former period,fat and lusty, the body finally becomes weariedwith this continued excess, the stomach is diseased,nutrition is impeded or wholly suspended,and a complete destruction of the vitalorganism results.

It will scarcely be believed, yet it is neverthelesstrue, that females can bear these excessesfor a longer period than men, and thatwhen they do unfortunately yield to them,they indulge to even a greater extent.

Observation and experience fully corroboratethe assertion. Among a great number ofcases that could be cited, one must suffice.A young lady, a creole, living in Paris, was inthe habit of taking daily a pint of brandy,without its producing any disturbance of herfaculties, and, it might be almost said, withoutcommitting any excess. When she took alarger quantity,—which indeed was often thecase,—she became loquacious and troublesometo her attendants: complained of headacheand hallucinations, which deprived her ofsleep, and said that she dreaded an attack ofapoplexy. During four or five years of pro[125]fessionalattendance upon her, I have beenwitness to several of these fits of excess. Sherarely or ever walked, but made use of hercarriage, rose late, and seldom partook ofmeat unless strongly seasoned with red pepper.She became excessively obese under this systemof living, and when I lost sight of her she wasan utter deformity. Her complexion, however,was still good, and I could attribute herobesity only to her extreme intemperance.

Water is the natural beverage of man; butbeing no longer in a state of nature, thatwhich was at first destined to assuage histhirst, is not found to be in accordance withhis changed habit,—his altered mode of lifeconsequent upon civilization. To the water asmall quantity of wine may be advantageouslyadded, producing a tonic and slightly stimulatingdrink, suitable to such stomachs as maystand in need of it as an adjunct to digestion.

Pure wine is not suitable for ordinary beverage,but will rather excite thirst than allayit, and at the same time may induce irritation,or even inflammation of the stomach. Thoseonly who use a great deal of exercise in theopen air can tolerate pure wine with impunity.

Many of the white wines produce a diureticeffect, and are less apt to induce corpulencethan the red wines.

[126]

Champagne is certainly most agreeable tothe palate, and on account of its stimulatingeffect, even when taken in small quantity, ismuch in vogue; yet it is not suited to such ashave a tendency to make fat. A young ladyunder my care, who was enormously fat, acknowledgedthat she lived exclusively onpastry and sweetmeats, and drank nothing butchampagne. A change both of food and beverageeffected a speedy cure. In some casesthis wine gives rise to indigestion, owing tothe large amount of free carbonic acid gaswhich it contains, acting injuriously upon thenerves which are distributed to the stomach.

A strong infusion of tea is one of thosebeverages having a tendency to oppose theformation of fat; it is nevertheless nutritious,inasmuch as it prevents the disintegration oftissue. Moreover, its action on the nervoussystem is exhilarating. On account of theseproperties it is much used in England by allclasses. A weak infusion of tea, with a superabundanceof milk and sugar, is, on theother hand, highly conducive to the formationof fat, and therefore should be avoided.

The beneficial effects of tea and coffee aredue to substances heretofore named "theine"and "caffeine," according to the source whencethey were obtained. These substances are[127]now known to be identical, although derivedfrom plants of entirely different families. Aninfusion of coffee produces effects similar tothose induced by tea. If weak, it is favourableto the development of corpulence; but ifstrong, it acts as a powerful stimulant uponthe nervous system, and assists digestion. Avery strong infusion of coffee, more particularlywhen taken upon an empty stomach, ispowerfully anti-obesic in its effects.

It has been alleged that coffee must be nutritious,because labourers are enabled to supportlife upon a small amount of solid foodwhen supplied with an abundance of coffee.Now the fact is, that coffee has all the propertiesof tea, and, like it, prevents waste oftissue, thereby economizing food to the utmost,and enabling the labourer to do a largeamount of bodily work with a comparativelyslight expenditure of the organized tissues ofthe living body.

W. C. CHEWETT & CO., PRINTERS, KING STREET EAST, TORONTO.