THE AUTHOR . F L E T C H E R I S M :
WHAT IT IS ;
OR
HOW  I  BECAME  YOUNG
AT  SIXTY
BY
HORACE FLETCHER, M.A.,
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AUTHOR OF
"THE NEW MENTICULTURE"; "THE A.B.—Z. OF OUR OWN
NUTRITION"; THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE," ETC., ETC. LONDON
EWART, SEYMOUR & CO., LTD.,
TWELVE BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND
Reprinted by Photolithography
LEE FOUNDATION FOR NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH
Milwaukee 1, Wisconsin
July — 1960BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS,
LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.INTRODUCTION
FLETCHERISM  has become a fact. A dozen years ago it was laughed at as the
" chew-chew " cult; to-day the most famous menof Science endorse it and teach its principles.Scientific leaders at the world's foremostUniversities—Cambridge, England; Turin,Italy; Berne, Switzerland ; La Sorbonne,France; Berlin, Prussia ; Brussels, Belgium ; St.Petersburg, Russia; as well as Harvard, Yaleand Johns Hopkins in America—have shownthemselves in complete accord with Mr.Fletcher's teachings. The intention of the present volume is that it
shall stand as a compact statement of theGospel of Fletcherism. The author relatesbriefly the story of his regeneration, of how herescued himself from the prospect of an earlygrave, and brought himself to his presentsplendid physical and mental condition. He tellsof the discovery of his principles, which havehelped millions of people to live better, happier,and healthy lives.Mr. Fletcher writes with all his well-known
literary charm and vivacity, which have won forhis works such a wide-spread popular demand. It is safe to say that no intelligent reader will
peruse this work without becoming convincedthat Mr. Fletcher's principles as to eating andliving are the sanest that have ever beenpropounded ; that Fletcherism demands noheroic sacrifices of the enjoyments that go tomake life worth living, but, to the contrary, thatthe path to Dietetic Righteousness, which Mr.Fletcher would have us tread, must be thepleasantest of all life's pleasant ways. THE PUBLISHERSPREFACE
" What is  good for the richest man in the world, must be also
good for the poorest, and all in between." Daily Express, London,May 15th, 1913. THIS quotation was apropos of an
announcement in the Evening Mail, of New
York, telling that the Twentieth CenturyCroesus and financial philosopher, John D.Rockefeller, had uttered a Confession of hisFaith in the fundamental principles of DieteticRighteousness and General Efficiency as follows:
" Don't gobble your food. Fletcherize, or chew
very slowly while you eat. Talk on pleasanttopics. Don't be in a hurry. Take time tomasticate and cultivate a cheerful appetitewhile you eat. So will the demon indigestion beencompassed round about and his slaughtercomplete." At the time this compendium of physiological
and psychological wisdom concerning the sourceof health, comfort, and happiness came to my
notice I was engaged in furnishing mypublishers with a " compact statement of theGospel of Fletcherism," as they call it, andhence the able assistance of Mr. Rockefeller waswelcomed most cordially. Here it was in anutshell, crystallized, compact, refined,monopolized as to brevity of description,masterly, and practically leaving little more tobe said. The Grand Old Man of Democracy in
England, William Ewart Gladstone, had had hissay on the same subject some years before, andwill be known to the future of physiologicalfitness more permanently on account of hisglorification of Head Digestion of food than forhis Liberal Statesmanship. In like manner, Mr. Rockefeller will deserve
more gratitude from posterity for havingprescribed the secret of highest mental andphysical efficiency in thirty-three words, thanfor the multiple millions he is dedicating toScience and Sociological Betterment. It will be interesting, however, to seekers
after supermanish health and strength to knowhow the author took the " straight tip" of Mr.Gladstone, and " worked it for all it was worth "
until Mr. Rockefeller referred to the process ofcommon-sense involved as " Fletcherizing." I assure you it is an interesting story. It has
taken nearly fifteen years to bring thedevelopment to the point where Mr. Rockefeller,who is carefulness personified when it comes tocommitting himself for publication, is willing toexpress his opinion on the subject. It has costthe author unremitting, completely-absorbing,and prayerful concentration of attention, andnearly twenty thousand pounds sterling($100,000), spent in fostering investigations andsecuring publicity of the results of the inquiries,with some of the best people in Science,Medicine, and Business helping him withgenerous assistance, to accomplish this triumphof natural sanity. In addition to other co-operation, and the
most effective, perhaps, it is appropriate to saythat there is scarcely a periodical published inall the world, either technical, news-bearing, orotherwise, on the staff of which there has notbeen some member who has not received somepersonal benefit from the suggestions carried bythe economic system now embodied in the latest
dictionaries of many nations as " Fletcherism." The first rule of " Fletcherism " is to feel
gratitude and to express appreciation for and ofall the blessings which Nature, intelligence,civilization, and imagination bring to mankind ;and this utterance will be endorsed, I am sure,by the millions of persons who have foundeconomy, health, and general happinessthrough attention to the requirements ofdietetic righteousness. It will be especiallyapproved by those who, like Mr. Rockefeller,gained new leases of life after having burnedthe candle of prudence at both ends and in themiddle, to the point of nearly going out, in thestruggle for money. Yet the secret of preserving natural efficiency
is even more valuable than cure or repair ofdamages due to carelessness and over-strain. Inthis respect the simple rules of Fletcherizing,embodying the requirements of Nature in co-operative nutrition, are made effective byformulating exercises whereby habit-of-conformity is formed, and takes command of thesituation so efficiently, that no more thoughtneed be given to the matter than is necessary in
regard to breathing, quenching thirst, orobserving " the rule of the road " in avoidingcollisions in crowded public thoroughfares. Mr. Rockefeller's thirty-three words not only
comprise the practical gist of Fletcherism, butalso state the most important fact, that by thesemeans the real dietetic devil, the devil of devils,is kept at a safe distance. The mechanical act of mastication is easy to
manage ; but this is not all there is to headdigestion. Bad habits of inattention andindifference have to be conquered before goodhabits of deliberation and appreciation areformed. These requirements of healthynutrition have been studied extensively andanalyzed thoroughly, to the end that we knowthey may be acquired with ease if sought withserious interest and respect. I began the preface by quoting the statement
that  " What is good for the richest man in the
world must be also good for the poorest, and all
in between." I will close by asserting that
" Doing the right thing in securing right nutrition
is easier than not if you only know how. "CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
AUTHOR 'S PREFACE
I. H OW I B ECAME  A FLETCHERITE
II. S CIENTIFIC  TESTS OF FLETCHERISM
III. W HAT I AM ASKED  ABOUT  FLETCHERISM
IV. R ULES OF FLETCHERISM
V. W HAT IS PROPER  MASTICATION  ? VI. W HAT IS HEAD DIGESTION  ? VII. C HITTENDEN  ON CAREFUL  CHEWING
VIII. T HE THREE  INCHES  OF PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY
XI. Q UESTION  PRESCRIPTION  AND
PROSCRIPTION
X. W HAT CONSTITUTES  A FLETCHERITE
XI. A LL DECENT  EATERS  ARE
FLETCHERITES
XII. F LETCHERIZING  AS A TEMPERANCE
EXPEDIENT
XIII. T HE MENACE  OF MODERN  MIXED
MENUS
XIV. T HE CRUX OF FLETCHERISM
XV. F LETCHERISM  AND VEGETARIANISMLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE AUTHOR Frontispiece
THE AUTHOR  TESTING  HIS ENDURANCE  BY MEANS  OF
THE KELLOGG  MERCURIAL  DYNAMOMETER
THE AUTHOR  UNDERGOING  A TEST AT YALE WHEN  HE
MADE  A WORLD'S RECORD  ON THE IRVING
FISHER  ENDURANCE  TESTING  MACHINE
THE AUTHOR  FEELING  HIMSELF  TO BE THE MOST
FORTUNATE  PERSON  ALIVE
HORACE  FLETCHER  IN HIS MASTER  OF ARTS ROBES
THE AUTHOR , ON HIS SIXTIETH  BIRTHDAY ,
PERFORMING  FEATS OF AGILITY  AND STRENGTH
WHICH  WOULD  BE REMARKABLE  EVEN  IN A YOUNG
ATHLETEF L E T C H E R I S M :
WHAT IT IS
CHAPTER I
HOW I BECAME A FLETCHERITE
My Turning Point—How I had Ignored My Responsibility—What
Happens during Mastication—The Four Principles of Fletcherism. OVER twenty years ago, at the age of forty
years, my hair was white; I weighed two
hundred and seventeen pounds (about fiftypounds more than I should for my height of fivefeet six inches); every six months or so I had abad attack of " influenza " ; I was harrowed byindigestion; I was afflicted with " that tiredfeeling." I was an old man at forty, on the wayto a rapid decline. It was at about this time that I applied for a
life-insurance policy, and was " turned down "by the examiners as a " poor risk." This was thefinal straw. I was not afraid to die ; I had longago learned to look upon death with equanimity.At the same time I had a keen desire to live,
and then and there made a determination that Iwould find out what was the matter, and, if Icould do so, save myself from my threateneddemise. I realised that the first thing to do was, if
possible, to close up my business arrangementsso that I could devote myself to the study of howto keep on the face of the earth for a few moreyears. This I found it possible to do, and Iretired from active money-making. The desire of my life was to live in Japan,
where I had resided for several years, and towhich country I was passionately devoted. Mytastes were in the direction of the fine arts.Japan had been for years my Mecca — myhousehold goods were already there, waitinguntil I should take up my permanent residence ;and it required no small amount of will-power toturn away from the cherished hope of a lifetime,to continue travelling over the world, andconcentrate upon finding a way to keep alive. I turned my back on Japan, and began my
quest for health. For a time, I tried some of themost famous " cures " in the world. Here andthere were moments of hope, but in the end I
was met with disappointment. THE TURNING  POINT . It was partly accidental and partly otherwise
that I finally found a clue to the solution of myhealth disabilities. A faint suggestion ofpossibilities of arrest of decline had dawnedupon me in the city of Galveston, Texas, someyears before, and had been strengthened by avisit to an Epicurean philosopher who had asnipe estate among the marshlands of SouthernLouisiana and a truffle preserve near Pau, inFrance. He was a disciple of Gladstone, andfaithfully followed the rules relative to thoroughchewing of food which the Grand Old Man ofEngland had formulated for the guidance of hischildren. My friend in Louisiana attributed hisrobustness of health as much to this protectionagainst overeating as to the exercise incident tohis favourite sports. But these impressions hadnot been strong enough to have a lasting effect. One day, however, I was called to Chicago to
attend to some unfinished business affairs.They were difficult of settlement, and I wascompelled to " mark time " in the Western city
with nothing especially to do. It was at thistime, in 1898, that I began to think seriously ofeating and its effect upon health. I read a greatmany books, only to find that no two authorsagreed; and I argued from this fact that no onehad found the truth, or else there would besome consensus of agreement. So I stoppedreading, and determined to consult MotherNature herself for direction. HOW I HAD IGNORED  MY RESPONSIBILITY . I began by trying to find out why Nature
required us to eat, and how and when. The keyto my search was a firm belief in the goodintentions of Nature in the interest of ourhealth and happiness, and a belief also thatanything less than good health and highefficiency was due to transgressions againstcertain good and beneficent laws. Hence, it wasmerely a question of search to find out thenature of the transgression. The fault was one of nutrition, evidently.I argued that if Nature had given us personalresponsibility it was not hidden away in the
dark folds and coils of the alimentary canalwhere we could not control it. The fault or faultsmust be committed before the food wasswallowed. I felt instinctively that here was thekey to the whole situation. The point, then, wasto study the cavity of the mouth ; and the firstthought was : " What happens there ? " and " What is present there ? " The answer was:Taste, Smell (closely akin to taste and hardly tobe distinguished from it), Feeling, Saliva,Mastication, Appetite, Tongue, Teeth, etc. I first took up the careful study of Taste,
necessitating keeping food in the mouth as longas possible, to learn its course and development;and, as I tried it myself, wonders of new andpleasant sensations were revealed. Newdelights of taste were discovered. Appetiteassumed new leanings. Then came the vitaldiscovery, which is this : I found that each of ushas what I call a food-filter: a discriminatingmuscular gate located at the back of the mouthwhere the throat is shut off from the mouthduring the process of mastication. Just wherethe tongue drops over backward toward itsso-called roots there are usually five (sometimes
seven, we are told) little teatlike projectionsplaced in the shape of a horseshoe, each of themhaving a trough around it, and in these troughs,or depressions, terminate a great number oftaste-buds, or ends of gustatory nerves. Just atthis point the roof of the mouth, or the " hardpalate, " ends; and the " soft palate, " with theuvula at the end of it, drops down behind theheavy part of the tongue. During the natural act of chewing the lips are
closed, and there is also a complete closure atthe back part of the mouth by the pressing ofthe tongue against the roof of the mouth.During mastication, then, the mouth is anairtight pouch. After which brief description, please note, the
next time you take food,
WHAT  HAPPENS  DURING  MASTICATION . Hold the face down, so that the tongue hangs
perpendicularly in the mouth. This is for tworeasons: one, because it will show how food,when properly mixed with saliva, will be liftedup in the hollow part in the middle of thetongue, against the direct force of gravity, and
will collect at the place where the mouth is shutoff at the back, the food-gate. It is a real gate; and while the food is being
masticated, so that it may be mixed with salivaand chemically transformed from its crudecondition into the chemical form that makes itpossible of digestion and absorption, this gatewill remain tightly shut, and the throat will beentirely cut off from the mouth. But as the food becomes creamy, so to speak,
through being mixed with saliva, or emulsified,or alkalised, or neutralised, or dextrinised, ormodified in whatever form Nature requires, thecreamy substance will be drawn up the centralconduit of the tongue until it reaches the food-gate. If it is found by the taste-buds there located
around the " circumvalate papillae " (the teat-like projections on the tongue which Imentioned above) to be properly prepared foracceptance and further digestion, the food-gatewill open, ) and the food thus ready foracceptance into the body will be sucked backand swallowed unconsciously—that is, withoutconscious effort.I now started to experiment on myself. I
chewed my food carefully until I extracted alltaste from it there was in it, and until it slippedunconsciously down my throat. When theappetite ceased, and I was thereby told that Ihad had enough, I stopped; and I had no desireto eat any more until a real appetitecommanded me again. Then I again chewedcarefully—eating always whatever the appetitecraved. THE FIVE PRINCIPLES  OF FLETCHERISM . I had now found out five things ; all that
there is to my discovery relative to optimumnutrition; and to the fundamental requisite ofwhat is called Fletcherism. First: Wait for a true, earned appetite. Second: Select from the food available that
which appeals most to appetite, and in the ordercalled for by appetite. Third: Get all the good taste there is in food
out of it in the mouth, and swallow only when itpractically  " swallows itself." Fourth: Enjoy the good taste for all it is
worth, and do not allow any depressing ordiverting thought to intrude upon the ceremony. Fifth: Wait; take and enjoy as much as
possible what appetite approves ; Nature will do
the rest. For five months I went on patiently
observing, and I found out positively in thattime that I had worked out my own salvation. Ihad lost upwards of sixty pounds of fat: I wasfeeling better in all ways than I had for twentyyears. My head was clear, my body felt springy,I enjoyed walking, I had not had a single coldfor five months, " that tired feeling " was gone !But my skin had not yet shrunk back to fit myreduced proportions, and when I told friendswhom I met that I felt well and a new man,their retort was that I certainly " did not lookit ! " *
The more I tried to convince others, the more
fully I realised from talking to friends how futileand well-nigh hopeless was the attempt to getcredence and sympathy for my beliefs,scientifically well founded as I felt they were. * NOTE :—Some of these same friends, fifteen years later,
when I was sixty-four years of age, as positively declared : "You
never looked so well: Fletcherizing has certainly done well for
Fletcher! "For years it proved so ; and I faced the fact that
to pursue  the campaign for recognition meantspending much money, putting asideopportunities to make profit in other and moreagreeable directions, and no end of ridicule.Sometimes, during the daytime, when I was "sizing up " the situation in my mind, treating itwith calm business judgment, it seemed nothingless than insane to waste more time or money intrying to prove my contentions. Fully three years passed before I received
encouragement from any source of recognisedauthority. I went first to Professor Atwater,*who received me most politely, but when I toldhim my story he threw cold water on myenthusiasm. In our correspondence afterwardshe was most cordial but in no way encouraging. The frost became more and more repellent
and benumbing. Still I persisted. At last I got hold of my first
convert : a medical man, ill and discouraged ;amember of a family long distinguished in the
* Professor W. A. Atwater, of Connecticut, U.S.A., was, in
his time, a respected authority in the field of human nutrition,
and, as such, was selected by the editors of the Encyclopedia
Britannica to write the chapters on Nutrition for the
Encyclopaedia.medical profession. He was Doctor Van
Someren, of Venice, Italy, where I had made myhome and where I lived for some years. Iinduced him to organise an experiment with me.We enlisted a squad of men and induced themto take food according to my ideas. We also werefortunate enough to secure the co-operation ofProfessor Leonardi, of Venice. In less than three weeks the sick physician
found himself relieved of his acute ailments,and it would have taken several teams of horsesto hold him back from preaching his discovery. *A little later, we transferred the field ofexperiment to the Austrian Tyrol, and testedour endurance qualities, only to find a capacityfor work that was not before consideredpossible. Then Doctor Van Someren wrote hispaper for the British Medical Association, whichexcited the interest of Professor Sir MichaelFoster, of the University of Cambridge,England, and the first wave of scientificattention was set in motion. * Dr. Van Someren's testimony is given as an Appendix to
the American edition of this volume; taken from The A .B.—Z. of Our Own Nutrition,CHAPTER II
SCIENTIFIC TESTS
First Critical Examination at Cambridge University, England— My
Endurance Test at Yale University in America. ONE result of this powerful interest was a test
of our theories made at Cambridge University,England, organised by Sir Michael Foster, whowas then Professor of Physiology at theUniversity, and conducted by Professor FrancisGowland Hopkins. The test was successful,proving our most optimistic claims, and thereport of it was published. The scientific world now began to turn its
attention to my discoveries. Doctor HenryPickering Bowditch, of Harvard Medical School,the dean of American physiologists, put the fullweight of his respected influence into the workto secure for America the honour of completingthe investigation; but it was not until theexperiments at Yale University, in New Haven,that the first wide publicity was accorded. Thestory of this and subsequent experiments andtheir results is this : Professor Russell H.THE AUTHOR  TESTING  HIS ENDURANCE   BY MEANS  OF THE KELLOGG
MERCURIAL  DYNAMOMETER . DR. ANDERSON , DIRECTOR  OF THE
YALE GYMNASIUM , IN THE BACKGROUND . Chittenden was at the time President of the
American Physiological Association, Director ofthe Sheffield School of Yale University, and therecognised leading physiological chemist ofAmerica. He invited me to the annual meetingof the Physiological Association at Washington,where I described the results in economy andefficiency, and especially in getting rid offatigue of brain and muscle, obtained up to thattime. But evidently to little purpose, asProfessor Chittenden revealed to me at the closeof the meeting. He said, in effect:
" Fletcher, all the men you have met at our
meeting like you immensely, personally; but noone takes much stock in your claims, even withthe endorsement of the Cambridge men ; thetest there was insufficient to be conclusive. If,however, you will come to New Haven and letus put you through an examination, our reportwill be accepted here. You will be eitherjustified or disillusioned ; and—I want to befrank with you —I think you will bedisillusioned." MY EXAMINATION
by Dr. Chittenden showed a daily diet averageof 44.9 grams of proteid, 38.0 grams of fat, and
253 grams of carbo-hydrates, with a totalaverage calory value of 1,606 (compare this with
the Voit Diet Standard, page 88), and careful
and thorough tests made at the YaleGymnasium proved that, in spite of thisrelatively low ration, I was in prime physicalcondition. Previously, as before stated, in the autumn of
1901, Dr. Van Someren had accompanied me toCambridge for the purpose of having our claimsclosely investigated, with the assistance ofphysiological experts. The Cambridge and theVenice findings were fully confirmed at NewHaven, and striking physical evidence wasadded by Doctor William Gilbert Anderson'sexaminations of me in the Yale Gymnasium.This latter test, described on page 19, was morepractically important as an eye-opener to bothdoctors and laymen than were the laboratoryreports. I personally showed endurance andstrength in special tests superior to theforemost among the College athletes. This waswithout training and with comparatively smallmuscle ; the superiority of the muscle lying inthe quality and not in the amount of it.Professor Chittenden then became intensely
interested in the matter, as did also ProfessorMendel; and the former suggested organising anexperiment on a sufficiently large scale to proveuniversality of application or the reverse. Hevolunteered his services and the use of hislaboratory facilities. At this time, too, I became acquainted with
General Leonard Wood * and Surgeon-GeneralO'Reilly, of the United States Army. I foundboth open to my evidence; and, in the case ofGeneral Wood, I learned that it was confirmedby his own experience while chasing Indians inthe Western wilds. Through them PresidentRoosevelt and Secretary Root becameinterested, and carte blanche was given General
O'Reilly to use the War Department facilities,including the soldiers of the Hospital Corps, forassistance in the proposed experiment.†
One of the revelations of our experiments
worthy of mention here was that occasional long
* Now Chief of Staff. † The full repost of this famous experiment may be found in
Professor Chittenden's book Phsological Economy in Nutrition ;
but such small mention of indebtedness to Fletcdherism was
made, that Professor Irving Fisher, in the interest of practical
Political Economy, organised a supplemental experiment, moreabstinence from food, say two or three weeks,
with water freely available, is comparativelyharmless, if " Fletcherizing " is carefullypractised when food is again given to the body.Nature prescribes accurately what is to be eaten(often the most unexpected sort of food); and ifthe food selected by appetite is carefullymasticated, sipped, or whatever other treatmentis necessary to get the good taste out of it, andthe mental state at the same time is clear offear-thought or worry of any kind, the justamount that the body can use at the moment isprescribed by appetite, and the restoration tonormal weight is accomplished with epicureandelight, well worth a spell of deprivation. THE IRVING  FISHER  EXPERIMENTS . The tests of endurance, which were
conducted by Professor Irving Fisher, of Yale,now President of the Committee of OneHundred on National Health of the American
normal than the first, to test the economic effects of
Fletcherism, pure and simple. A brief account of this investigation is given on page 78. Professor Chittenden made amends, later on, by composing a
physiological prose poem on the benefits and delights resulting
from careful chewing and tasting of nutriment, which I quote in
full in Chapter VII.Association for the Advancement of Science, and
with the co-operation of the famous athleticcoach, Alonzo B. Stagg, formerly of Yale, butnow of the University of Chicago—on Collegeathletes, students of sedentary habits, and onmembers of the staff of the Battle CreekSanatorium—are of prodigious importance intheir relation to the possibilities of humanendurance through simple Fletcherizing. The reports include a test in what is termed
" deep-knee bending," or squatting on the heelsand then lifting the body to full height as manytimes as possible. John H. Granger, of theBattle Creek Sanatorium staff, did this feat5,002 times consecutively in two hours andnineteen minutes and could have continued. Hethen ran down a flight of steps to theswimming-pool, plunged in and had a swim,slept sweetly and soundly for the usual time,and showed no signs of soreness or otherdisability afterwards. Doctor Wagner gave his strenuous
contribution to our knowledge of possibilities ofendurance by holding his arms out horizontallyfor 200 minutes without rest—three hours andtwenty minutes. At the end of that time heshowed no signs of fatigue, and stopped only
because of the weariness shown by those whowere watching and counting the minutes. Thesestatements seem like exaggerations, but theyare not. Both of these tests can be tried by any one in
the privacy of his or her own bedroom. Doctor Anderson, Director of the Yale
Gymnasium, taking advantage of the cueoffered by the Yale experiments, which hesuperintended, practised Fletcherizing in all itsbranches. At the end of six years he put themuscles thus purified to the test, with theresult that he added fifteen pounds of puremuscle to a frame that never carried more than135 pounds before in the half century of itsexistence, and demonstrated that the sameprogressive recuperation that I have enjoyed isopen and available to others who have passedmiddle life. Mr. Stapleton, one of Professor Chittenden's
volunteers, grasped the same valuable cue whileserving as one of the heavy-weight test-subjectsin the Yale experiments. He reduced his waistmeasurement to thirty inches and a half,increased his chest measurement to forty-four
inches; and has refined his physique until hisribs show clearly through his flesh, while hismuscles mount tall and strong where muscle isneeded in the economy of efficiency. In themeantime, without training other than thatconnected with his teaching, he increased thetotal of his strength and endurance more thanone hundred per cent. ; and reduced his amountof food by nearly, if not quite, half—as have alsoDoctor Anderson and myself. MY ENDURANCE  TEST AT YALE. These are merely typical cases of distinuished
and measured improvement. How the movement went on from step to step
others have told, and I need not follow it furtherhere. Two years after I began my experiments my
strength and endurance had increased beyondmy wildest expectations. On my fiftiethbirthday I rode nearly two hundred miles on mybicycle over French roads, and came homefeeling fine. Was I stiff the next day ? Not at all,and I rode fifty miles the next morning beforebreakfast in order to test the effect of my severe
stunt. *
When I was fifty-eight years of age, at the
Yale University Gymnasium, under theobservation of Dr. Anderson, I lifted threehundred pounds dead weight three hundred andfifty times with the muscles of my right legbelow the knee. The record of the best athletethen was one hundred and seventy-five lifts, soI doubled the world's record of that style of testsof endurance. The story of this test at Yale, when I doubled
the " record " about which so much has beenwritten, is this: Professor Irving Fisher, of Yale,had devised a new form of endurance-testingmachine intended to be used upon the musclesmost commonly in use by all persons. Obviouslythese are the muscles used in walking. Quite alarge number of tests had been measured by theFisher machine, but it was still being studiedwith a view to possible simplification. I was asked to try it and to suggest any I
* Detailed account of this test is given in The New Glutton or
Epicure London: Ewart, Seymour & Co., Ltd., Burleigh St.,
W.C.changes that might improve it. I did so, and
handled the weight with such seeming ease thatDr. Anderson asked me whether I would notmake a thorough test of my endurance. This Iwas glad to do. The Professor Irving Fisher Endurance
Testing Machine is weighted to 75 per cent. ofthe lifting capacity of the subject, ascertained bymeans of the Kellogg Mercurial Dynamometer.The lifting is timed to the beats of a metronome. When I began, Dr. Anderson cautioned me
against attempting too much. I asked him whathe considered " too much," and he replied : " Fora man of your age, not in training, I should notrecommend trying more than fifty lifts." So Ibegan the test, lifting the weight to the beat ofthe metronome at the rate of about one in twoseconds, and had soon reached the fifty mark." Be careful," repeated Dr. Anderson, " you maynot feel that you are overdoing now, butafterward you may regret it." But I felt no strain and went on.When seventy-five had been exceeded, Dr.
Anderson called Dr. Born from his desk to takecharge of the counting and watching to see thatthe lifts were fully completed, and ran out into
the gymnasium to call the masters of boxing,wrestling, fencing, etc., to witness the test.When they had gathered about the machine, Dr.Anderson said to them, " It looks as if we weregoing to see a record-breaking." I then asked," What are the records ? " Dr. Anderson replied," One hundred and seventy-five lifts is therecord ; only two men have exceeded onehundred; the lowest was thirty-three, and theaverage so far is eighty-four." In the meantime I had reached one hundred
and fifty lifts, and the interest was centered onthe question as to whether I should reach thehigh record, one hundred and seventy-five. When one hundred and seventy-five had been
reached, Dr. Anderson stepped forward to catchme in case the leg in use in the test should notbe able to support me when I stopped andattempted to stand up. But I did not stop liftingthe three-hundred-pound weight. I kept righton, and as I progressed to two hundred, twohundred and fifty, three hundred, and finally todouble the record, three hundred and fifty lifts,the interest increased progressively.THE AUTHOR  UNDERGOING  A TEST AT YALE WHEN  HE MADE  A
WORLD 'S RECORD  ON THE IRVING  FISHER  ENDURANCE  TESTING
MACHINE . After adding a few to the three hundred and
fifty I stopped, not because I was suffering fromfatigue, but because the pounding of the ironcollar on the muscles above my knee had madethe place so pummelled very sore, as if hit agreat number of times with a heavysledgehammer. I had doubled the record, andthat seemed sufficient for a starter in thecompetition. As I stood up, Dr. Anderson reached up his
arms to support me. But I needed no support.The leg that had been in use felt a trifle lighter,but in no sense weak or tired. Then I was examined for heart-action,
steadiness of nerve, muscle, etc., and was foundto be all right, with no evidence of strain. Aglass brimming full of water was placed first inone hand and then in the other, and was heldout at arm's length without spilling any of thewater. Next morning I was examined for evidence of
soreness, but none was present. There was thenormal elasticity and tone of muscle. Later in that same year, at the International
Young Men's Christian Association TrainingSchool at Springfield, Massachusetts, I liftedseven hundred and seventy pounds with the
muscles of the back and legs — a feat thatweight-lifting athletes find hard to perform.And I did these stunts eating two meals a day,one at noon and the other at six o'clock, at anaverage cost of eleven cents a day. Still another examination at the University of
Pennsylvania resulted in my breaking theCollege record of lifting power with the backmuscles. I do not cite these instances as feats ofextraordinary prowess, but just to show thedifference in my condition then and twentyyears before. All this I have done simply bykeeping my body free of excess of food and thepoisons that come from the putrefaction of thefood that the organism does not want andcannot take care of. As to myself, I am now past sixty-four. I
weigh one hundred and seventy pounds, whichis a good weight for my height. During themany years of experiment I have rangedbetween two hundred and seventeen and onehundred and thirty pounds, but have " settleddown " to my present quite convenient figure. Ifeel perfectly well; I can do as much work as cana man of forty—more than can the average man
of forty, I believe. I rarely have a cold, andalthough I am always careless in this regard,my work is never delayed. I do not know what itis to have " that tired feeling," except asexpressed by sleepiness. When I get into bed Iscarce ever remember my head striking thepillow, and after four and one-half hours Iawake from a dreamless slumber with a happywaking thought in process of formation. I usually find it agreeable to court
supplemental naps, to be followed by morepleasant waking thoughts : but these are pureluxury. I can do with five hours sleep if need be.CHAPTER III
WHAT I AM ASKED ABOUT FLETCHERISM
Let Nature Choose the Meals—How many Meals a Day ? —Housewives—Fletcherism—The Financial Economy ofFletcherism—Business People and Fletcherism—The True Epicure. WHAT do I eat ? When do I eat ?How much do I eat ?My answer to all these questions is very
simple. I eat anything that my appetite calls for;
I eat it only when it does call for it; and I eat until
my appetite is satisfied and cries " Enough ! " With my New England food preferences, my
range of selection circulates among a verysimple and inexpensive variety, namely,potatoes, corn-bread, beans, occasionally eggs,milk, cream, toast-and-butter, etc. ; andcombinations of these, such as hashed-brownedpotatoes, potatoes in cream, potatoes au gratin,
baked potatoes, potato pats, fish-balls — mainlycomposed of potato; occasionally tomato stewedwith plenty of powdered sugar; oyster stew withthe flavour of celery ; escalloped oysters, etc.The taste for fruits is always suitable to the
season, and is intermittent, strong leaningstowards some particular fruit persisting for atime and then waning to give place to someother preference. But with all my fifteen or twenty years of
unremitting study of the subject, I cannot nowtell what my body is going to want to-morrow.But Nature knows, and she alone knows. LET NATURE  CHOOSE  THE MEAL . Once in Venice a group of experimenters, of
which I was one, subsisted on milk alone.During seventeen days nothing but milk,always from the same cow, and fresh from themilking, passed my lips in the way of food ordrink. I sipped the milk, and tasted it for all thetaste there was in it, and I learned to be so fondof it that it was with some difficulty that I wentback to a varied diet when the experimentcalled for a change. Good, fresh milk is anexception to Nature's dislike for monotony infood. Milk is the one perfectly-balanced foodmaterial; and while it may not be always thebest food for grown persons, it is the mostacceptable as a monotonous diet, and always is
good, sufficient and safe nutriment, if sipped,tasted, and naturally swallowed. I haveforgotten just what the exact quantity was thatI consumed daily during those seventeen days—I believe it was about two quarts. I get away asfar as possible from quantitative amounts,which may influence other persons. Theappetite is the only true guide to bodily need;and if the milk is .tasted 
and swallowed only by
involuntary compulsion as required by rightfeeding, the appetite will gauge the bodily needexactly, and cut off short when enough for themoment has been taken. So I say to all who ask me these questions as
applied to themselves: I cannot advise youappropriately what to eat, when to eat, nor howmuch to eat; neither can anybody else. Trust toNature absolutely, and accept her guidance. If she calls for pie, eat pie. If she calls for it at
midnight eat it then, but eat it right.Understand the food filter at the back of themouth as I have described it in a previousarticle, and use it in connection with the pie. Ifit is used properly, and all the taste is extractedfrom the pie, and it is swallowed only in
response to the natural opening of the gate, andif the ingredients of the pie that are notswallowed naturally are removed from themouth, nothing will happen to disturb profoundsleep. Few persons will crave mince pie or Welsh
rarebit late at night. The worker on a morningpaper may do so, and often does. He has earnedhis appetite, and sometimes it is so robust as tocall for mince pie or Welsh rarebit; but if theseare eaten properly they will then be utilised bythe body, eagerly and easily. I dwell purposely upon this extravagance of
eating. It is to accentuate the fact that we wantto get as far away as possible, when cultivatingvital economies, from the idea of extraneousadvice in the matter of food. The ordinary person will probably find his
appetite leaning towards the simplest of foods,and away from frequency of indulgence. If thebreakfast is postponed until a real, earnedappetite has been secured, the mid-day or laterbreakfast (remember always that breakfastmeans the first meal of the day, no matter whentaken) will be so enjoyable a meal, and the
appetite will be so entirely satisfied that therewill be no more demand for food until evening,and possibly not even then. HOW MANY  MEALS  A DAY ? I am often asked if it is true that I eat only
two meals a day; that I never eat breakfast, andwhy I have dropped that meal. I have two meals a day more habitually than
any other number, but not with any prescribedregularity, for the reason that my activities aremost irregular at times, and my appetiteaccommodates itself to my needs. When I am doing work under the most
favourable of conditions, one meal a day is therhythm best appreciated by my body. But thequestion of  " How many meals a day ? " istantamount to the inquiry as to the amount ofsleep needed : it is a matter of satisfaction of thenatural requirements. The harder one works,the faster one runs, etc., the more air he needs.The same applies to the need for food accordingto the amount of heat eliminated, and the repairmaterial consumed. The really hardest workthat anybody does is done within the body. Muscular effort in normal conditions is not sowaste-provoking and exacting as getting rid ofexcess of food and the counteraction of worry oranger. Likewise, idleness begets uneasiness,uneasiness begets desire for something (nobodyknows just what), and groping around for" Don't know what " causes the temptation toeat and drink something which the body doesnot need ; and then the really hard work of thebody begins in the attempt of Nature to get ridof the excess. Excess of water can be thrown offin perspiration with comparative ease, but withexcess of food it is different. The kidneys,bacteria and fuel furnaces of the body are allover-worked to get rid of it. When I am so busy that I have only time to
replenish the real exhausted need of the body,say half an hour at most, I find one meal a dayall that my appetite demands of me. This istaken after I have done my day's work of, say,eight hours of writing, or twelve or thirteenhours of bicycle riding or mountain climbing,and then I do not have appetite for more untilthe next day, after the work is done.When I mention two meals as being the more
habitual, it is because I am not fully,constructively active all the time now, althoughI am usually " snowed under " with things that Imight  do to advantage; and hence I conform to
the social custom and sit down to table sometime in the evening to be social. The reason I have dropped the habit-hunger
morning meal is because I find that it isunnatural in my case. My experience showedme that omission of the early morning meal ledto desire for a lighter but more satisfactory mid-day meal, and took away the craving for theevening supper. I first came to this realisationduring excessive hot weather and monotonouslytrying environment. The only time I could writecomfortably was before sun-up in the morning.Absorbed in my writing I did not realise thegrowing heat of the day until I actually began torain perspiration, by which time it was nearlynoon. Then came the mid-day meal of breakfastselection with salad and fruit preponderating.The best of feelings followed, the waist-lineshrank, and one meal satisfied. In order to try the urgency of any habitappetite—the early morning meal, for
instance—take a drink of water instead, andnote if that does not suffice as well as food toallay the craving for " something." A cup of hotwater, with sugar and milk to suit the taste, isamply sufficient. Water will not satisfy a real,earned appetite; but it often will effectuallyallay a purely habit-hunger such as that forearly breakfast. HOUSEWIVES  AND FLETCHERISM . A great many women ask: " But how is it
possible to follow such a haphazard way ofeating in a home without upsetting the wholeroutine of the household, disturbing the work ofthe servants ? You can't just have your familyeating whenever they like." My answer is this : The possible disturbance
to domestic regularity and convenience, becauseof the difficulty of supplying different membersof the family only when appetite in each case is"just good and ready," is purely imaginary.Persons of regular occupations willaccommodate themselves to the ordinaryrhythm of meal schedule easily and naturally,with the difference that they may occasionally
skip a meal or two when the ordinary activityhas been lessened. The general experience has been that
concentration on one particular meal, either atnoon or in the evening, will suit everybody, andother feedings will be "snoopings" from thelarder, or taken at a restaurant in thoseinstances where one's occupation is remote fromhome. The " Fletcherite " at business frequentlyfollows the method of having nuts or plainbiscuits in his desk in case he feels like takingthem ; and the business woman would do well toprofit by his example. The adoption of Fletcheristic simplicity leads
to the solving of the eternal household problem,and under its influence it is possible forwoman's work to be done sooner, giving physicalrelief and more time for healthful recreation. Diminution of the demand for meat-foods has
much to do with both the ease of housework,and the modification of cost. But this is not themost important saving. The saving of liability tointestinal toxication (poisoning) is the greateconomy of the method.THE FINANCIAL  ECONOMY  OF FLETCHERISM
It has been stated by writers who have
correctly reported results that more than twohundred thousand families in Americalive according to Fletcherism and save as muchas a dollar a day on their living expenses. Thishas led many to ask: " How are one's livingexpenses reduced by your principles ? " The estimate, arrived at a few years ago, that
some two hundred thousand families inAmerica were saving an average of a dollar aday through Fletcherizing, was made, I believe,by Doctor Kellog, of Battle Creek, Michigan.Through the thousands of patients who passunder his observation, and through acomprehensive touch with the sale of differentkinds of food throughout the country, DoctorKellog has his finger on the pulse of the nationin relation to its dietetic circulation.Fletcherism first affected families of sumptuoustastes, and the economy of it easily effected asaving of an average of a dollar a day, largely inthe diminution of meat requirements andcomplex dishes.The spread of the movement has now begun
to encompass families of lesser luxury of habits ;and here it is found that an average saving often cents a day for each person is easilyaccomplished. In the Christian EndeavourSociety alone, the leaders of the movement, asthe result of their own practical experience,hoped to effect a saving of hundreds ofthousands of dollars a day through the spread ofthis economic nutritive teaching. This waslikewise the aspiration of the Roman Catholicbenevolent organisations. A circular lettersigned by the Reverend Father Higgins, of
Germantown, Pennsylvania, which was
distributed widely, declared that, in addition tothe food economy sought to be obtained, acondition which makes for poverty— that is,intemperance—was overcome by Fletcherism. Father Higgins declared that " No Fletcherite
can be intemperate in the use of alcoholicstimulants " and he was right in his assertion. BUSINESS  PEOPLE  AND FLETCHERISM . What would be the best way for business
people to adopt Fletcherism ? is often asked.The case is frequently cited to me of a young
man or woman who isn't hungry for breakfastat seven o'clock, does not eat at that timebecause the appetite doesn't demand it ; andthen gets ravenously hungry at eleven o'clock. Itmay be impossible to get any food until one-thirty—by which time the feeling comes thatone has " waited too long," and a headache andno desire for food are the results. Or, the case ofworking-girls who live in boarding-houses, eatno breakfast, and at noon cannot afford thewholesome and hearty food Nature would thencrave. Later, at dinner, they have to eat what isput before them, whether they want it or not, orelse go without. Will a hearty luncheon, rightlyeaten, interfere with a good afternoon's work ? Iam reminded also that leisure, money, andeasily-accessible cafés are not always availablefor business women. My answer to such questions is :—Any
change of habit is apt to excite a protest onbehalf of the body, especially when the body isnot properly nourished, and is in a state of moreor less disease. When the habit-hunger comeson a few sips of water will quiet the discomfortfor the time being and, very likely, until it is
convenient to take food comfortably and withthe calm and relish necessary to good digestion.Headache, faintness, " all-goneness " and likediscomforts, are symptoms, not of hunger, butof the reverse—that is, fermentation ofundigested excess of food which the body cannotuse. A person, thus troubled, should brave
discomfort for a week, and even go without foodentirely for a few meals, in order to give thebody a chance to " clean house " : then the realsensation of hunger will be expressed by" watering of the mouth " and a keen desire forsome simple food such as bread and butter, ordry bread alone. But this healthy appetite will" keep " and accumulate until it is convenient totake food. THE TRUE EPICURE . I am, personally, a hearty man in full
activity, both mental and physical. I can worksix hours and then satisfy the keenest ofappetites on a meal of wheat griddle-cakes withmaple syrup and a glass or two of milk. A youngworking woman should be able to do the same. If I eat such a meal with " gusto," deliberation(so as to enjoy the maximum of taste), takingnot more than fifteen minutes over it, I can thengo to work, or play, or to mountain climbing, orto riding a bicycle, and keep it up until I amsleepy, with no sense of repletion or discomfort.
" Money, leisure and easily-accessible cafés "
are the menace of right nutrition, unless one isproof against temptation to kill time in thisdangerous manner. Steady work to earn a true appetite, small
means to spend on food, the necessity of going toseek it, with the appreciation which comes fromrarity, are the very best safeguards to rightnutrition. I am an epicure. Yet I have never seen a
boarding-house, nor a restaurant, nor a campwhere I could not find something to satisfy atrue (earned) appetite. During more than a yearin the Far East—Ceylon, Java, the Phillipines,China, Burma India, Kashmir—and at manysteamer and railway lunch tables, I alwaysfound something good to satisfy a keen appetite.If you are all right inside, and will only conqueryour habit-hungers, I believe you can live
sumptuously, anywhere, on less than twoshillings a day. I can, and often do; and do it,too, at one hundred and seventy pounds weightand " awfully busy " all the time. It may bedifficult, and perhaps painful, at first, to get thebest of bad habit-cravings, but it is worth while.A week should accomplish the reformation. A number of men ask me : "Do you honestly
believe that in your theories lies the secret oflong life ? " I do, and I may give one example ofa " lived model " of longevity as the result ofFletcherism in all its ramifications oftemperance of eating, careful mastication,radiant optimism, practical altruism,superabundant activity, etc. The HonourableAlbert Gallatin Dow, of Randolph, New York,passed away in May, 1908, lacking less thanthree months of a hundred years of age. Up tothe last moment of his century of life there wasno encroachment of senility, and he fell, ripefruit, into the lap of Mother Nature, without ablemish of decay. Shortly before he passedaway, Mr. Dow invited me to see him, and toldme that he had received a shock of warningearly in life as I had done late in life, and had
made the same discovery that had reformed me.He believed that he owed his health and vigourto following the simple requirements of Nature,as I was teaching; but he had his career to makeat the time, and had not had the leisure andmeans to preach dietetic righteousness as I wasdoing. He wished me Godspeed on my mission.All inquiry in all directions, wherever longevityhas been accomplished, reveals the samesimplicity of habits of living, which are thenatural points of Fletcherizing.CHAPTER IV
RULES OF FLETCHERISM
Never Eat until Hungry—Mouth Treatment of Solid and Liquid Food—
When to Stop Eating—Instructions to the Medical Department ofthe U.S. Army. TO make my ideas a little clearer, I will
elaborate them a little more. Remember thatthe rules are exceedingly simple. That, to mymind, is the worst obstruction to the generaladoption of my system: it is so simple that manyfind it difficult to comprehend. But take theserules and you have the idea. FIRST  RULE. Don't take any food until you are " good and
hungry." Some people will reply : " I am always
hungry." Others will aver that they " neverknow what it is to be hungry." We may assumethat both replies are incorrect, because hungermust be intermittent, and must sometimes bepresent, or life would be intolerable throughlack of satisfaction and something to satisfy.The question, " What is hunger ? " is a
natural and legitimate one, for the reason thatthere are true appetites and false cravings.True hunger for food is indicated by " wateringof the mouth "—not that watering of the mouth,or profuse flow of saliva, through artificialexcitement by some pungent stimulant, such assweets, or acid or spiced things ; but that whichis excited on thought of some of the simplest offoods, such as bread and butter, or dry breadalone.
" All-goneness " in the region of the stomach,
" faintness," or any of the discomforts that arefelt below the guillotine line, are not signs oftrue hunger, but symptoms of indigestion, orsome other form of disease. True hunger isnever a discomfort unless a growing desire maybe classed as a discomfort. Accumulatingappetite (true hunger) is like the multiplicationof uncut and uncashed coupons on a railwaybond or on a Government bond. The feeling ofpossession is a joy of itself; and the ability tocollect the proceeds when needed and at leisureis comfortable rather than uncomfortable.Under circumstances of intelligent nutrition, ifwe pass one mealtime we wait patiently for the
next, with the knowledge that we areaccumulating appetite coupons. SECOND  RULE. Have you yet learned what true hunger is ? Don't go on unless you have done so. Take a
little more time ; skip a meal or two, and giveNature a chance to show you what real appetite(true watering of the mouth) is. Having learnedto recognise healthy hunger and appetite, andto know what it is to have both of them begging
you for satisfaction, proceed with the second rule. From the food available at the time take that
first which appeals most strongly to theappetite. It may be a sip of soup, or a bite ofbread and butter, or a nibble of cheese, or,perhaps a lump of sugar. It may be a piece ofmeat, though I doubt that a true appetite willcall for such at the beginning of a meal. Nevermind what it may be, give it a trial. If it besomething that should be masticated in order togive the saliva a chance to mix with it andchemically transform it, chew it " for all that itis worth."" For all that it is worth " means for the
extraction and enjoyment of all the good tastethere is in it. If the food selected by the appetite happens to
be soup, or milk, or some mushy substance, getall the good taste out of it, doing all you can toaccomplish this ; for to get the taste out of foodis an assurance of digesting it, and the pleasureit gives in the process is Nature's way of gettingyou to do the right thing in helping her tonourish yourself properly. Sip, taste, bite, presswith the tongue against the roof of the mouth,the food in the mouth, not because of anysuggestion of mine, but in response to thenatural instinct to move it about and get out ofit all the taste there is in it. THIRD  RULE. The moment appetite begins to slack up a bit,
the moment saliva does not flow so freely as atfirst, the moment there is any degree ofsatisfaction of the appetite, stop eating ! You will have a return of appetite; you will
have another chance to eat; appetite isbeginning to have " that tired feeling " herself ;be kind to her as she has been kind to you. Give
her a rest ! Give her a rest ! Give yourself a rest ! Rest is the antidote of "that tired feeling " ! Therefore rest the appetite before it gets tired,Stop eating before you are overloaded. Now, having learned how to do the right
thing in eating so as never more to have " thattired feeling," don't begin to overdo. Don't bendbackward too far. Don't ever overdo a goodthing. Be temperate ; be deliberate. Be thoughtful;
be forethoughtful ; be forethoughtful withoutbeing fearthoughtful. Don't overdo chewing, forthen you take away much of the pleasure ;smother the psychic enjoyment of eating, andraise the very mischief again. Just be natural, and know that being natural
is being deliberate in enjoying the thing you aredoing, for that is Nature's way. To the above simple rules I will append a few
recommendations which occurred to me andwhich I wrote while in a respirationcalorimeter, an experience which I will relate ina subsequent chapter. This list of recommen-dations has since been included in theInstructions to the Medical Department of the
United States Army, under the heading :
Method of attaining Economic Assimilation of
Nutriment and Immunity from Disease,
Muscular Soreness and Fatigue. (1) Feed only when a distinct appetite has
been earned. (2) Masticate all solid food until it is
completely liquefied and excites in anirresistible manner the swallowing reflex orswallowing impulse. (3) Attention to the act and appreciation of
the taste are necessary, meantime, to excite theflow of gastric juice into the stomach to meetthe food—as demonstrated by Pawlow. (4) Strict attention to these two particulars
will fulfil the requirements of Nature relative tothe preparation of the food for digestion andassimilation ; and this being faithfully done, theautomatic processes of digestion andassimilation will proceed most profitably, andwill result in discarding very little digestion-ash(fæces) to encumber the intestines, or to compelexcessive draft upon the bodily energy forexcretion. (5) The assurance of healthy economy is
observed in the small amount of excreta and itspeculiar inoffensive character, showing escapefrom putrid bacterial decomposition such asbrings indol and skatol offensively intoevidence. (6) When digestion and assimilation have
been normally economic, the digestion-ash(fæces) may be formed into little balls rangingin size from a pea to a so-called Queen Olive,according to the food taken, and should be quitedry, having only the odour of moist clay or of ahot biscuit. This inoffensive character remainsindefinitely until the ash completely dries, ordisintegrates like rotten stone or wood. (7) The weight of the digestive-ash may range
(moist) from 10 grams to not more than 40-50grams a day, according to the food; the latterestimate being based on a vegetarian diet, andmay not call for excretion for several days ;smallness indicating best condition. Foods differso materially that the amount and character ofthe excreta cannot be accurately specified. Somefoods and conditions demand two evacuationsdaily. Thorough and faithful Fletcherizingsettles the question satisfactorily. (8) Fruits may hasten peristaltis * ; but not if
they are treated in the mouth as sapid liquidsrather than as solids, and are insalivated,sipped, tasted, into absorption in the same waywine-tasters test and take wine, and tea-tasterstest tea. The latter spit out the tea after tasting,as, otherwise, it vitiates their taste, and ruinsthem for their discriminating profession. (9) Milk, soups, wines, beer, and all sapid
liquids or semi-solids should be treated in thismanner for the best assimilation and digestionas well as for the best gustatory results. (10) This would seem to entail a great deal of
care and bother, and lead to a waste of time. (11) Such, however, is not the case. To give
attention in the beginning does require strictattention and persistent care to overcomelifelong habits of nervous haste ; but if theattack is earnest, habits of careful mouthtreatment and appetite discrimination soonbecome fixed, and cause deliberation in takingfood unconsciously to the feeder. (12) Food of a proteid value of 5-7 grams of
* Forwarding muscular movement which advances food
along the whole  extent of the alimentary canal.nitrogen and 1,500-2,500 calories of fuel value, *
paying strict attention to the appetite forselection and carefully treated in the mouth,has been found to be the quantity best suited toeconomy and efficiency of both mind and body insedentary pursuits and ordinary businessactivity; and also, such habit of economy hasgiven practical immunity from the commondiseases for a period extending over more than
* The organic materials of human diet are usually classified
into three divisions :—
(1) The Proteids, or Albuminates—the characterising
element occurring being nitrogen. The nitrogenous foods are :
flesh (without the fat), eggs, milk, cheese, legumes (peas, beans,lentils, etc.). (2) The Fats, or Hydro-carbons. All animal and vegetable
fats and oil. Emulsions of mineral oils have been shown to passthrough the system unchanged, and therefore cannot be
regarded as food. (3) The Carbo-hydrates (sugars and starches): bread,
potatoes, and grain generally. Protein is the tissue builder; heat and energy are derived
largely from the non-nitrogenous foods. A Calorie (large) is the unit of heat required to raise one
kilogram of water to 1° C. The full value of a food is ascertained
by means of the calorimeter, or apparatus used to determinethe specific heat of substances, or the amounts of heat evolved
or absorbed in various physical and chemical changes. Calorimeters take very diverse forms, varying from quite simplevessels to highly complex apparatus, according to the particular
kind of determination to be carried out in them.fifteen years, whereas the same subject was
formerly subject to periodical illness. Similareconomy and immunity have shown themselvesconsistently in the cases of many test subjectscovering periods of ten years, and appliesequally to both sexes, all ages, and otheridiosyncratic conditions. (13) The time necessary for satisfying
complete body needs and appetite daily, whenthe habit of attention, appreciation anddeliberation have been installed, is less thanhalf an hour, no matter how divided as tonumber of rations. This necessitates industry ofmastication, to be sure, and will not admit ofwaste of much time between mouthfuls. (14) Ten or fifteen minutes will completely
satisfy a ravenous appetite if all conditions ofingestion and preparation are favourable. (15) Both quantitive and qualitive supply of
saliva are important factors; but attention tothese fundamental requirements of right eatingsoon regulates the supply of all of the digestivejuices, and in connection with the carerecommended above, ensures economy ofnutrition and, probably, immunity from disease.CHAPTER V
WHAT IS PROPER MASTICATION ? Not Excessive Chewing—Gladstone's Advice—Salival Action on Starch
Foods. NOTWITHSTANDING  the fact that Fletcherizing
stands for tasting as the important thing toaccomplish before food is swallowed, and thatbiting, chewing, or masticating is merely ameans to secure the end of thorough tasting,nine-tenths of all who know anything about theclaims for Fletcherizing insist on thinking thatit merely means " excessive mastication." TheNational Food Reform Association of England,in a bulletin giving advice concerning thefeeding of school children, intended to be postedin schoolrooms and private dining rooms,speaks of Fletcherizing in its ideal practice as" Excessive Mastication." This is just what Fletcherizing is not. The
very essence of the method of performing thepersonal responsibility is avoiding excess ofanything, excessive or laboured chewing amongthe rest.There is little if any harm in keeping food in
the mouth as long as possible, and I believe thatit is impossible to have too much saliva mixedwith it when it is swallowed, because when it isproperly tasted and insalivated it is almostimpossible to hold it back from the food gate atthe back of the mouth. There is always suctionthere ready to draw welcome nourishment inwhen it is ready, and readiness touches abutton, electrically relieving the muscularsprings that close the gate tightly duringtasting, and, literally a " team of horses couldnot hold it." What the mystics of the stomach-diseases
profession called bradefagy, or, in plain English,
excessive chewing, can only be performed withpainful tediousness. It makes work—hardwork—of the act, and that is just as muchopposed to Fletcherizing as it is to common
sense, horse sense, and all of the natural senses. Now just for one moment please pay
attention to one who is telling you somethingMother Nature wants you to know more thananything else in the whole category ofintelligence. Fletcherizing isNOT EXCESSIVE  CHEWING ,
or tedious chewing, or long chewing. The things
that require to be chewed long are not goodfood, and by that sign you may find out theirunprofitableness better than in any other way.Good taste from good food is not long lasting.When the mouth is " watering " for the food insight, or even in thought of it, the coupons oftaste they carry with them are short, butrepresent large figures of satisfaction andnourishment. MR. GLADSTONE 'S ADVICE . Now listen to some figures regarding the
number of bites or chews that some foodsrequire under varying circumstances. Mr.Gladstone's advice to his children which hasbecome classic, viz. : " Chew your food thirty-twotimes at least, so as to give each of your thirty-two teeth a chance at it," was a generalrecommendation. Mr. Gladstone was observedonce when he was a guest at " high table " atTrinity College, Cambridge, and the averagenumber of his " bites " (masticatory movements)as far as they could be counted, was aboutseventy-five. That did not speak very well for
Trinity fare, unless Mr. Gladstone happened tochoose food that required that amount ofchewing. Even if Mr. Gladstone did devote seventy-five
masticatory movements to each morsel, as anaverage, such thoroughness would not haveinvolved an unusual length of time for a heartymeal.
Fletcherism_How_I_Became_Young_At_Sixty_by_Horace_Fletcher.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        THE AUTHOR. F L E T C H E R I S M :
WHAT IT IS ;
OR
HOW  I  BECAME  YOUNG
AT  SIXTY
BY
HORACE FLETCHER, M. A. ,
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AUTHOR OF
"THE NEW MENTICULTURE"; "THE A. B. —Z. OF OUR OWN
NUTRITION"; THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE," ETC. , ETC. LONDON
EWART, SEYMOUR & CO. , LTD. ,
TWELVE BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND
Reprinted by Photolithography
LEE FOUNDATION FOR NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH
Milwaukee 1, Wisconsin
July — 1960BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD. , PRINTERS,
LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. INTRODUCTION
FLETCHERISM  has become a fact. A dozen years ago it was laughed at as the
" chew-chew " cult; to-day the most famous menof Science endorse it and teach its principles. Scientific leaders at the world's foremostUniversities—Cambridge, England; Turin,Italy; Berne, Switzerland ; La Sorbonne,France; Berlin, Prussia ; Brussels, Belgium ; St. Petersburg, Russia; as well as Harvard, Yaleand Johns Hopkins in America—have shownthemselves in complete accord with Mr. Fletcher's teachings. The intention of the present volume is that it
shall stand as a compact statement of theGospel of Fletcherism. The author relatesbriefly the story of his regeneration, of how herescued himself from the prospect of an earlygrave, and brought himself to his presentsplendid physical and mental condition. He tellsof the discovery of his principles, which havehelped millions of people to live better, happier,and healthy lives. Mr. Fletcher writes with all his well-known
literary charm and vivacity, which have won forhis works such a wide-spread popular demand. It is safe to say that no intelligent reader will
peruse this work without becoming convincedthat Mr. Fletcher's principles as to eating andliving are the sanest that have ever beenpropounded ; that Fletcherism demands noheroic sacrifices of the enjoyments that go tomake life worth living, but, to the contrary, thatthe path to Dietetic Righteousness, which Mr. Fletcher would have us tread, must be thepleasantest of all life's pleasant ways. THE PUBLISHERSPREFACE
" What is  good for the richest man in the world, must be also
good for the poorest, and all in between. " Daily Express, London,May 15th, 1913. THIS quotation was apropos of an
announcement in the Evening Mail, of New
York, telling that the Twentieth CenturyCroesus and financial philosopher, John D. Rockefeller, had uttered a Confession of hisFaith in the fundamental principles of DieteticRighteousness and General Efficiency as follows:
" Don't gobble your food. Fletcherize, or chew
very slowly while you eat. Talk on pleasanttopics. Don't be in a hurry. Take time tomasticate and cultivate a cheerful appetitewhile you eat. So will the demon indigestion beencompassed round about and his slaughtercomplete. " At the time this compendium of physiological
and psychological wisdom concerning the sourceof health, comfort, and happiness came to my
notice I was engaged in furnishing mypublishers with a " compact statement of theGospel of Fletcherism," as they call it, andhence the able assistance of Mr. Rockefeller waswelcomed most cordially. Here it was in anutshell, crystallized, compact, refined,monopolized as to brevity of description,masterly, and practically leaving little more tobe said. The Grand Old Man of Democracy in
England, William Ewart Gladstone, had had hissay on the same subject some years before, andwill be known to the future of physiologicalfitness more permanently on account of hisglorification of Head Digestion of food than forhis Liberal Statesmanship. In like manner, Mr. Rockefeller will deserve
more gratitude from posterity for havingprescribed the secret of highest mental andphysical efficiency in thirty-three words, thanfor the multiple millions he is dedicating toScience and Sociological Betterment. It will be interesting, however, to seekers
after supermanish health and strength to knowhow the author took the " straight tip" of Mr. Gladstone, and " worked it for all it was worth "
until Mr. Rockefeller referred to the process ofcommon-sense involved as " Fletcherizing. " I assure you it is an interesting story. It has
taken nearly fifteen years to bring thedevelopment to the point where Mr. Rockefeller,who is carefulness personified when it comes tocommitting himself for publication, is willing toexpress his opinion on the subject. It has costthe author unremitting, completely-absorbing,and prayerful concentration of attention, andnearly twenty thousand pounds sterling($100,000), spent in fostering investigations andsecuring publicity of the results of the inquiries,with some of the best people in Science,Medicine, and Business helping him withgenerous assistance, to accomplish this triumphof natural sanity. In addition to other co-operation, and the
most effective, perhaps, it is appropriate to saythat there is scarcely a periodical published inall the world, either technical, news-bearing, orotherwise, on the staff of which there has notbeen some member who has not received somepersonal benefit from the suggestions carried bythe economic system now embodied in the latest
dictionaries of many nations as " Fletcherism. " The first rule of " Fletcherism " is to feel
gratitude and to express appreciation for and ofall the blessings which Nature, intelligence,civilization, and imagination bring to mankind ;and this utterance will be endorsed, I am sure,by the millions of persons who have foundeconomy, health, and general happinessthrough attention to the requirements ofdietetic righteousness. It will be especiallyapproved by those who, like Mr. Rockefeller,gained new leases of life after having burnedthe candle of prudence at both ends and in themiddle, to the point of nearly going out, in thestruggle for money. Yet the secret of preserving natural efficiency
is even more valuable than cure or repair ofdamages due to carelessness and over-strain. Inthis respect the simple rules of Fletcherizing,embodying the requirements of Nature in co-operative nutrition, are made effective byformulating exercises whereby habit-of-conformity is formed, and takes command of thesituation so efficiently, that no more thoughtneed be given to the matter than is necessary in
regard to breathing, quenching thirst, orobserving " the rule of the road " in avoidingcollisions in crowded public thoroughfares.
Scientific leaders at the world's foremost universities, including Cambridge, Turin, Berne, La Sorbonne, Berlin, Brussels, and St. Petersburg, as well as Harvard and Yale in America.
Who has endorsed the principles of Fletcherism?
To feel gratitude and express appreciation for all the blessings which Nature, intelligence, civilization, and imagination bring to mankind.
What is the first principle of Fletcherism?
It is essential to understand and follow the principles of Nature, as they are not hidden away in the dark folds and coils of the alimentary canal, but are committed before the food is swallowed.
What is the key to achieving health and efficiency, according to the author?
The author's diet consists of a simple and inexpensive variety of foods, including potatoes, cornbread, beans, eggs, milk, cream, toast and butter, and sometimes oysters, and he also emphasizes the importance of not eating when not hungry.
What is the author's diet typically composed of?
The author advises to trust in Nature and accept her guidance, and to never overdo anything, as it is impossible to have too much saliva mixed with the food when it is swallowed, and it is almost impossible to hold it back from the food gate at the back of the mouth.
What is the author's advice on how to manage one's appetite?