692 GENERAL THERAPEUTIC MEASURES 



derlying tissues, and finally in supplying a store of nutrition. 

 Animals living in cold climates are covered symetrically by 

 fat, but those indigenous in bot countries have accumulations 

 of fat in masses to avoid over-heating the body. This is seen 

 in the hump of the camel, zebu and Brahmin bull. "When the 

 camel is severely taxed, the fat is consumed and the hump be- 

 comes loose and flabby. House dogs overfed and insuffici- 

 ently exercised, horses, and other animals kept for breediug 

 purposes, are those most commonly afflicted with obesity. 

 Fat in the body may be formed from fat, albuminoids, and 

 carbohydrates of the food. Carbohydrates, if in excess of 

 the needs of the economy, protect the fat in the food from 

 decomposition and so enable it to be stored in the body. 

 Protein may also protect the consumption of fat of the food, 

 for it is broken up into nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous 

 elements, and the latter may be transformed into body fat. 

 The accumulation of fat proceeds most readily when there is 

 an abundance of fat in the food,- in addition to the other 

 nutrients ; less so when the ration consists of fat and albu- 

 minoids, or of carbohydrates and albuminoids ; and least of 

 all with a diet consisting of pure protein. The latter, then, 

 is the food to be approached as near its purity as advisable. 

 If protein ration is followed too closely, digestive disorders, 

 loss of strength and nervous disturbances are likely to occur. 

 The fat resulting from the decomposition of a pure protein 

 fodder is usually not sufficient to supply the needs of the 

 body, and the organized fat is gradually called upon to supply 

 the deficiency in the food. 



Exercise, cathartics, diuretics and diarphoretics, to- 

 gether with venesection, are synergistic measures. As 

 emaciation proceeds, we must add more and more non- 

 nitrogenous material to our ration. Fat is said to accumu- 

 late most readily in the vicinity of vascular areas where the 

 flow of blood is retarded, and therefore oxidation, combustion, 

 and molecular activity diminished. Exercise, on the other 

 hand, stimulates the circulation, while deprivation of water 

 makes the blood-current more rapid by decreasing the 



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