Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1895 — What Do We Weigh? [ARTICLE]

What Do We Weigh?

A French doctor has pointed out that several fallacies aro common with regard to the weight of the human body. The man who congratulates himself on

his gain of several pounds In weight over a given period may have no cause for rejoicing, for he may bo under a delusion. Very few poople, says this French Investigator, have any correct Idea of their own weight As a rule, the correctness of his scale may bo doubted, the weight of tho clothing not taken Into account, the time which hgs elapsed since eating, etc. As a matter of fact, the weight of tho body Is continuously changing, owing the Innumerable Influences. On a warn! day after breakfast a man will lose more than a third of a pound per hour. Seventy per cent of tho body consists of water, and thus Its weight must vary with the transpiration of moisture, Therefore the Inferences drawn from the loss or gain of a pound or two may be mistrusted. Fluctuations of a few ounces per day are a sign that the body is in a healthy state.—Chambers’ Journal.