At first sight the system of forced feeding may be considered a violation of the principle of moderation, which - as must now be apparent to all my readers - is the fundamental dietetic doctrine inculcated in this book. But a closer inspection will reveal rather an anomalous state of affairs, which will bear careful examination. A little reflection will prove that the nutritive demands of the type of patient I have described as being most benefited by a modified rest cure are generally in excess of the nutritive requirements of a healthy man of the same build and age. Whether from an hereditarily unstable nervous system or a wrong method of education or an unsuitable occupation, patients of a nervous temperament are characterised from their cradle to the grave by the performance of purposeless actions. This perpetual fidgetiness devours energy that they can ill spare from the digestive processes, whilst in addition the lack of a coating of subcutaneous fat greatly augments the loss of heat from the body, and the conversion of much of the food into non-nutrient - not to say toxic - end-products makes an expensive inroad into the daily ration. Hence, instead of the 2,400 or 2,500 calories which would be ample for the nutritive requirements of a normal reposeful man of the same age and build, 2,700 to 2,800 would hardly suffice them, and as their digestive system would certainly not cope with such an amount, they are daily compelled to draw upon their own tissues for much-needed sustenance. The physical bankruptcy which ensues can only be evaded successfully by an immediate increase of capital, and when this has been obtained it must cease to be dissipated in the prodigal manner of the past and diverted into healthy channels of renewed activity. The store of fat, which should be maintained as far as possible for many months after the completion of the cure, is thus by careful graduated exercises utilised for the building up of muscular and nervous tissue, and when the restlessness of the past is replaced by a reposeful and energetic life of action, every calorie of the nutriment is employed to the best purpose.

The principle of moderation can then with advantage be introduced into the life and take the place of the spendthrift policy of the past. There being no longer any inordinate drain upon the energy because of the cessation or diminution of purposeless movements, and no increased demand for heat-producing food to supplement the caloric necessities of the body because of the deposit of adipose tissue, the amount of nutritive material called for is notably less than before, and is well within the capacity of the digestive organs to supply. Most important of all, the digestion being now practically normal, and its end-products well suited for the purpose for which they were originally intended, every grain of the food contributes its share in the production of heat and energy, or takes its place as one of the stones for building-up or repairing the tissues. The production of toxic products is therefore reduced to a minimum, and the irritation of the nervous structures and interference with the metabolism, to say nothing of the loss of energy in excretion, no longer exist. In other words, the former wasteful extravagance in the working of the body is replaced by economic and harmonious operations which tend to produce a more equable balance between the waste and repair. Hence, despite the increased weight, a smaller amount of food is actually required to satisfy the nutritive requirements of the body than had hitherto been necessary.