How do you transform obese folk into "ordinary" people? It’s obvious, duh! Make them run a half marathon every day. If only Dr Allinson had made his suggestion more forcefully a century ago...

On fighting the flab: "Exercise must be taken daily; four or five miles a day to begin with, not necessarily all at once, increased until 10 or 12 miles can easily be taken. These are the rules that must be carried out if obese persons want to become like ordinary citizens, and not live like animated flour barrels."

Next week: cold turkey