60 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON DIET, &c.

as are heating and promote perspiration and urine. Their drinkshould be water, coffee, tea, or the like ; and they ought to takemuch exercise and little sleep. — Those who are too lean must fol-low an opposite course.

4. Such as are troubled with acidities, or whose food is apt tosour on the stomach, should live much on animal food ; and thosewho are afflicted with hot alkaline eructations, ought to use a dietconsisting chiefly of acid vegetables.

5. People who are affected with the gout, hypochondriac or hys-teric disorders, ought to avoid all flatulent food, every thing thatis viscid, or hard of digestion, all salted or smoke-dried provisions,and whatever is austere, acid, or apt to turn sour on the stomach.Their food should be light, spare, cool, and of an opening nature.

6. The diet ought not only to be suited to the age and constitu-tion, but also to the manner of life : a sedentary or studious personshould live more sparingly than one who labours bard withoutdoors. Many kinds of food will nourish a peasant very well,which would prove almost indigestible to a citizen ; and the latterwill live upon a diet on which the former would starve.

7. Diet ought not to be too uniform. The constant use of onekind of food might have some bad effects. Nature teaches us this,by the great variety of aliment which she has provided for man,and likewise by giving him an appetite for different kinds of food.

8. Those who labour under any particular disease, ought toavoid such aliments as have a tendency to increase it : for exam-ple, a gouty person should not indulge in rich wines, strong soups,or gravies, and should avoid all acids. One who is troubled withthe gravel ought to shun all austere and astringent aliments ; andthose who are scorbutic should be sparing in the use of salted pro-visions, &c.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON DIET, LONG FASTING, ITS CONSEQUENCES,REGULARITY, &C

It has always been an established rule with respect to diet, thatthe softer and milder kinds of food are best adapted for childrenand young subjects generally ; that for grown-up people the moresubstantial is necessary ; and, with regard to old people, theyshould gradually, as they advance towards their climax, lessen thequantity of solid food, while they increase that of their drink, bothof the diluent and cordial kind; taking care, however, that, inthus accommodating " pliant nature," that slow must be thechange :—

" And stage by stage —Slow as the stealing progress of the year."

For nature looks up to custom as a kind of hereditary right towliich she is entitled by long possession, and although she may betaHght to relinquish her pretensions to it, this must never be at-tempted by sudden changes, or hasty transitions either of one kindor other.

It is not only necessary for health that our diet be wholesome,but also that it be taken at regular periods. Some imagine long