Letter on Corpulence

Addressed to the Public

De: William Banting

Narrado por: Adam B. Crafter

Duración: 57 m

Resumen del Editor

Within the last few decades, several obesity-reducing low carbohydrate diets have come to the public's attention. What few realize is that these are all the grandchildren in thought to William Banting, an undertaker who, in 1864, wrote one short book that launched the first incredibly popular diet for obesity. Banting was immortalized by having his name enter the English language as a verb. Three examples include an Irishman, Captain Boycott, whose name entered the language in the 1860s. Another was Louis Pasteur, and the third was William Banting, a man who came to have a great impact on many peoples' lives and waistlines....

To this day, to bant (as a verb), or to engage in "banting" is built into the language in many countries, including the UK, South Africa, and Sweden. It can be hard to see where one is going without a sense of context of history, and this applies to dietary advice as it does with all matters.

Listen to the original pamphlet that started it all, and hear Banting's takes on corpulence and obesity, some early history of fat shaming, why he was in favor of before and after pictures, and his altercations with the medical authorities of the 1860s.

Public Domain (P)2015 Adam B. Crafter

The Original Anti-obesity Diet

I have now listened to this twice. It still astounds me that we have had effective, economically sound treatment for the current obesity pandemic, for well over 162 years!

Now, I am absolutely sure Mr. Banting was correct in that the poor, and the working men were unable to afford obesity. Their diet consisted of the least processed food, and in barely sufficient quantity. For them, hard labor, whole foods and no extra portion was their existence. They burned their calories before they ate them and were getting all the various vitamins, minerals, fiber, and such.

Today, for us, it is the poor that are fat. The danities on Mr. Banting's table are now cheap. They're nutritional voids, but supply more energy than needed. Yet the sad state of our waistlines can be helped.

I like very much where Mr. Banting says he didn't think to mention carrots, parsnips, beetroot, and herring, and veal, as inedible, because he didn't like to eat these foodstuffs, and didn't realize others did. I must think, however that the turnips he mentions are actually rutabaga. Turnips, the white and purple vegetable, and all green vegetables ate useful and lower in carbohydrate.

I wonder if maybe his morning cordial included apple cider vinegar, but we are not told.

The narrator is good. I might not seek out his work, but I wouldn't reject it, as long as it has nothing to do with evil.

Fantastic

Love this charming first "diet book" to be published. It's chalked full of dietary wisdom ahead of its time

Historical Account of Managing Your Health with Di

I found it interesting that he talked about gout, stomach acid and rheumatism.

He also talked about "saccharine" and sugars being bad...

A moving story, still relevant today

Any additional comments?

Banting wrote and distributed this letter, basically at cost, as a public service, because his health was so completely and easily transformed by the low carb diet, that he wanted to share his success with the many other sufferers of obesity.

As the first low carb testimonial, it speaks volumes, and because it is a personal story, Crafter's narration shines and brings it to life.

Like many of us today, Banting tried other methods in vain. He tried numerous of the recommended cures of the day, but it was 30 years before he hit upon a low carb diet. The chronicling of these attempts holds such familiar crushed hope, that it would be painful, if not for the happy eventual result.

I particularly liked the insight, still little appreciated today, that healthful as intense physical exercise may be, it is not fat reducing in and of itself.

All in all, a great pleasure to listen to, for content and performance.

Cool

I like it

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

Benefits of Low Carb

One man's fight against obesity, told in such a way that I want to go try it right now. A good story read in a compelling voice. I will listen again.

A glimpse into another time

What did you love best about Letter on Corpulence?

This is not just a diet book, it is a historical gem. It was not that long ago that legitimate doctors treated intestinal problems by "washing out my ears, and scorching them". Banting changed his life by changing his diet, something highly frowned upon then - and he was a brave man to want to share his discovery with the world, and to make the effort to do so.

What about Adam B. Crafter’s performance did you like?

For me, possibly the best part of this audio book was Mr. Crafter's performance. I have a copy of the tract, and have read it many times, but Mr. Crafters elegant diction and pleasant voice brought a depth to it I had not found before. It is especially noticeable when Banting describes things that would be common in his era, but aren't generally known now: I would normally skim over descriptions of things like "Rusk" , but this reading made me curious enough to look it up. I only wish Banting had mentioned what was in his "morning elixir"!
Well done, Mr. Crafter.

Any additional comments?

All in all, this is a moment in time, captured beautifully and fully. Things like this are too often lost... I'm glad this one wasn't.

A Window on Correspondence through Time

If you could sum up Letter on Corpulence in three words, what would they be?

Eloquent Diet Record

What was one of the most memorable moments of Letter on Corpulence?

The descriptions of Banting's diet and the surprising luxury of low-carb eating stands out equally with his frustration at being unable to find a working way to regain his health through weight loss. From a foodie perspective, the observations of regular eating across time is enlightening as much as enticing, a reminder of the functional and enjoyable nature of low-carb eating.

What does Adam B. Crafter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Crafter reads the professional voice of the past in a way that casts all the more stark relief on the lack of eloquence in modern communication. If I were reading the antiquated diction on my own and not listening to Mr. Crafter's reading, I would have missed a lot of the humanity in the words just through lack of familiarity with the style. Mr. Crafter's reading enforces both the professionalism of the author and the humanity of his words, his struggle to find a solution to a lifelong problem.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The work itself is a callback to communication before "and then I was like, and he was like -" storytelling. The record of professional but personal communication takes the listener back in the ages, and made me think about the way I dictate my own stories, the way we all tell each other our own tales today.

Wth

This is a lecture about obesity and the shamfulll way way to live.
This was the most hurtful way to act.
The woman who spoke was large herself. I donor recommend this book