A Treatise on Diet

The physician and author John Ayrton Paris (1785-1856), several of whose other medical and popular works have been reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection, published this book on the significance of diet to health in 1826. In the first part, Paris discusses the physiology of the digestive system, and the way that sensations of hunger, thirst and fullness are conveyed. In the second part, he considers types of food and drink, and methods of cookery. Paris suggests the times of day at which different meals should be taken, and the types and amounts of food and drink to be consumed. Part 3 deals with the problems of indigestion. A table of matters for investigation is given which covers the patient's lifestyle and habits as well as their immediate physical symptoms, and Paris firmly makes the point that changes of lifestyle are at least as important as medicine in effecting a cure.