DEFINITION Obesity is that condition in which the body contains an abnormally large amount of adipose tissue. The excessive fat may be evenly distributed or may be present to a much greater extent in some regions than in others. When the accumulation is sharply localized to one or more discrete encapsulated masses, one speaks of "lipomatosis" in contradistinction to "obesity." WEIGHT Since the accumulation of adipose tissue causes a corresponding increase in weight, much effort has been directed toward establishing a weight which is best in regard to longevity and mental and physical fitness. Normal Weight. —The Child Health Association has compiled tables (tables 1 through 4) that give the average weight for height and sex of large numbers of healthy children from birth through the age of 18 years. These tables are widely accepted as the most satisfactory standards. However, Fisk1 has shown that the average weights of