Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public

First published in 1869, this short account describes the outrageous effects of ‘corpulence’ on the author’s daily life and his search for a solution. Routine advice was ineffective. For a decade he rowed a heavy boat on the river for two hours every morning. He ‘gained muscular vigour but with it a prodigious appetite’ and his weight increased. But eventually he found a doctor who had wise insight. He was advised to avoid foods that were easy to eat in quantity but did not satisfy appetite—bread, butter, beer, milk, sugar, and potatoes. He lost 50 pounds in weight, and over… show more.