William banting letter on corpulence pdf

English undertaker and populariser of a weight loss diet

William Banting (c. December &#; 16 March )^[1][2] was a notable English undertaker. Formerly obese, he is also known for being the first to popularise a weight loss diet based on limiting the intake of carbohydrates, especially those of a starchy or sugary nature.^[3] He undertook his dietary changes at the suggestion of Soho Square physician William Harvey, who in turn had learned of this type of diet, but in the context of diabetes management, from attending lectures in Paris by Claude Bernard.^[3][4]

Professional career

In the early 19th century, the family business of William Banting of St.

James's Street, London, was among the most eminent companies of funeral directors in Britain. As funeral directors to the Royal Household itself, the Banting family conducted the funerals of King George III in , King George IV in , the Duke of Gloucester in , the Duke of Wellington in , Prince Albert in , Prince Leopold in , Queen Victoria in , and King Edward VII in The royal undertaking warrant for the Banting family eventually ended in with the retirement of William Westbrook Banting.^[5]

Weight loss diet

Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public

In , Banting wrote a pamphlet, called Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public,^[6] which contained the particular plan for the diet he followed.

It was written as an open letter in the form of a personal testimonial. Banting accounted all of his unsuccessful fasts, diets, spa and exercise regimens in his past. His previously unsuccessful attempts had been on the advice of various medical experts. He then described the dietary change which finally had worked for him, following the advice of another medical expert.

"My kind and valued medical adviser is not a doctor for obesity, but stands on the pinnacle of fame in the treatment of another malady, which, as he well knows, is frequently induced by [corpulence]." (p24) His own diet was four meals per day, consisting of meat, greens, fruits, and dry wine. The emphasis was on avoiding sugar, saccharine matter, starch, beer, milk and butter.

Banting's pamphlet was popular for years to come, and would be used as a model for modern diets.^[4] Initially, he published the booklet at his personal expense.

Letter on corpulence Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface. William Banting c. Banting's pamphlet was popular for years to come, and would be used as a model for modern diets. Further reading [ edit ].

The self-published edition was so popular that he determined to sell it to the general public. Despite the success of the booklet, Banting opted to forgo profits from the self-published versions, instead donating the profits to charity.^[7] The third and later editions were published by Harrison, London.

Banting's booklet remains in print as of ,^{[citation needed]} and is still available on-line.^{[citation needed]}

"Banting" as a verb

The popularity of the pamphlet mentioned above was such that the questions "Do you bant?" or "Are you banting?", still occasionally in use today, refer to his method, and sometimes even to dieting in general.^[3] In Swedish, "banta" is still the main verb for "being on a diet".

Scientist Tim Noakes popularised Banting in South Africa when he named his high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet after Banting.^{[8][clarification needed]}

Legacy

Gary Taubes' study of carbohydrates, Good Calories, Bad Calories, begins with a prologue entitled "A brief history of Banting" and discusses Banting at some length.^[9] Discussions of low-carbohydrate diets often begin with a discussion of Banting.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

Personal life

Banting was a distant relative of Sir Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin.^[9] Banting is buried alongside his wife and daughter at Brompton Cemetery, London, England.^{[citation needed]}

See also

References

Further reading

External links