Sir Francis Head, in his humorous book entitled _Bubbles from the Brunnens of Nassau, by an Old Man_, expresses his astonishment at the “enormous quantity of provisions” which the invalids and sojourners at these watering places “so placidly consume;” and, after noticing “the heavy masses which constitute the foundation of the dinner, and the successive layers of salmon--fowls--puddings--meat again--stewed fruit--and, lastly, majestic legs of mutton--which form the lighter superstructure,” he adds: “Nothing which this world affords could induce me to feed in this gross manner. The pig which lives in his sty would have some excuse, but it is really quite shocking to see any other animal overpowering himself at mid-day with such a mixture and superabundance of food” (p. 71). In another page he returns to the subject, and quaintly enough remarks, “that almost every malady to which the human frame is subject is, either by high-ways or by-ways, connected with the stomach; and I must own, I never see a fashionable physician mysteriously counting the pulse of a plethoric patient, or, with a silver spoon on his tongue, importantly looking down his red inflamed gullet (so properly termed by Johnson ‘the meat-pipe’), but I feel a desire to exclaim, ‘Why not tell the poor gentleman at once--Sir, you’ve eaten too much, you’ve drunk too much, and you’ve not taken exercise enough!’ That these are the main causes of almost every one’s illness, there can be no greater proof than that those savage nations which live actively and temperately have only one great disorder--death. The human frame was not created imperfect--it is we ourselves who have made it so; _there exists no donkey in creation so overladen as our stomachs, and it is because they groan under the weight so cruelly imposed upon them, that we see people driving them before them in herds to drink at one little brunnen_” (p. 91–2). Our supposed “Old Man” is by no means singular in his opinions. The celebrated Roman physician Baglivi, who, from practising extensively among Catholics, had ample opportunities of observation, mentions that in Italy an unusually large proportion of the sick recover during Lent, in consequence of the lower diet which is then observed as part of the religious duties. This is a striking fact, and gives unequivocal proof, not only in favour of temperance, but in evidence of the assertion that excess in quantity is a prevailing error in society.