Remarks on fasting, and on the discipline of the body : in a letter to a clergyman / by a physician.

Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on fasting, and on the discipline of the body : in a letter to a clergyman / by a physician. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    cate well, is a rule which should be strongly im- pressed upon all who wish to avoid the evils of imperfect digestion. 2. Those who, in digestion, experience discomfort and difficulty immediately, or within a short time after taking food, should take animal food sparingly; those whose discomfort does not begin for some hours after a meal, should be sparing in the use of vegetable food (bread included), or abstain from it altogether. 3. In fasting, choose the latter, rather than the early part of the day, for the practice of total ab- stinence. 4. The diminution of the quantity of the food to one-half or one-third its usual amount at each meal, is more suited to the condition of weak constitutions, and is, in general, a more decided exercise of self- discipline and control, than total abstinence from food \ 5. When a meal ought to consist of solids and liquids, do not take the liquid, leaving the solid portion; but curtail the quantity of both. 6. When a meal consists of animal food and of vegetables, it is better to curtail the quantity of both, than to take the latter only. I am far from admitting that even this modified practice should be adopted for any continuous period, as, for instance, throughout Lent, by any except the most robust, especially by those engaged in the active duties of professions, or of mercan- tile or other pursuits, or in close study.