LIVING WITHOUT FOOD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4825, 4 May 1925, Page 2

LIVING WITHOUT FOOD.

e THE KEY TO HEALTH. AMERICAN DOCTOR’S VIEW. After three years’ investigation aud experimenting, Professor A. J. Carlsou? of the department of physiology in the University of Chicago, has reached the conclusion that fasting is the key to renewed youth and robust health (writes Kenley Brace in the “Pictorial Magazine”). According to the piofessor, the proper dose of this rejuvenating and ’ health-giving process is a 15-days’ fast. There is nothing new about this. Fifty years ago another America! physician, Dr. Henry Tanner, advocated fasting ,as an aid to longevity and a cure for most diseases. Moreover, Tanner practised what ! ie preached. After undergoing several fastis for periods varying from 10’ to 30 days he set all America talking by going without food for 40 days. The medical press in England was frankly scetpical, whereupon Tanner announced his intention of going to England and repeating the experiment, at the same time inviting the sceptics to take any steps they liked to test its genuineness. The fast duly came off at the Aquarium, Westminstei, and lasted from noon of June 28 to noon of August 7, 1880. During the whole of this period—lo days and 40 nights—Taaner w’as never alone, being watched all the time by a seliappointed. committee of medical men. Their report was to the effect that the fast was undoubtedly genuine,; all possibility of fraud being eliminated. At the beginning he weighed 1571 b, and in the 40 days he lost 361 b, or a trifle under one-fourth of the body weight. After the fast he ate sufficient food in the first 24 hours to restore 91b of his weight, and in eight days he recovered all the 361 b. Tanner atferwards set up as a professional ’’fasting man,” and made a lot of money exhibiting himself, but in the beginning he fasted for health reasons pure and simple, and he always declared .that he felt ever so much younger and stronger after emerging from the ordeal than he did when he ebgan it. As Tanner atcually succeeded in living to the age of 99 years, dying so' comparatively recently as, December, 1918, it would seem as if there is something in his theory. On the other hand,, there is no disguising the fact that since his time quite a number of fasters for health’s sake, seeking renewed life, have met death instead. One such case is described very fully by Dr. Forbes Winslow, in his book, "Fasting and Feeding.” The victim of the fatal experiment was a young Italian student, who undertood to cure himself of gastric trouble by embarking on a 15days’ fast. He apparently suffered little inconvenience. In fact, he said towards the close of the seventh day that he had never felt better. Nevertheless, at the end of thy eighth day he suddenly collapsed and died of heart failure.