Adiposity

Abstract

The slimming of fat patients is important, not only for aesthetic and psychological reasons, but because adiposity predisposes to many more serious disorders and shortens the span of life. The causes of adiposity remain obscure. Though many of the ductless glands have probably some effect in determining body-weight, it is not at present possible to ascribe the fault accurately in most cases of human obesity. There is, however, good reason to guess that in many the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary must bear the brunt of the blame. The fact that gross adiposity, and perhaps also milder degrees, show evidence not only of fat retention, but of water-retention, has been stressed too little in the past. When this fact is borne in mind, many apparent anomalies in the reaction to treatment are easily explained, and the results of treatment are far more satisfactory.