People often say of the Dog male: "He's born an old man." The remark is fairly accurate, for the native never offers an air of freshness and insouciance, even as a child. He always looks morose, tense, austere, even tormented, as if suffering eternally from constipation or disappointment. In addition, with his awkward gait and slight stoop, he gives out every indication that he carries all of the world's misfortunes on his shoulders.
This individual is never quite happy with the physical aspect he projects. It pains him to realize his natural stiffness, clumsiness, and lack of refinement. If he labors under timidity, it is because he feels ill at ease in his body which he finds unattractive and unprepossessing.
He is often thin, even emaciated, no matter how rich his diet may be. With his high, bony stature, his narrow shoulders, his long and gnarled hands, he presents a rather caricatural appearance - and he knows it.
His health is basically sound. His most appreciable advantage lies in his tremendous nervous stamina - he can resist the stresses and strains of modern life better than the majority of people. Although his organism tends to show outward signs of senescence somewhat prematurely, he feels better and better physically as he advances in years and his endurance increases with age. He almost inevitably suffers from arthritis during a major part of his life and for this reason, according to popular belief, is not exposed to untimely natural death.
This is essentially an emotional person whose reactions do not lack intensity. But people around him are hardly aware of it because he exercises self-control very well - perhaps too well to stay on the safe side healthwise.
He is not a hypochondriac in the usual acceptation of the word, that is, he does not spend his time worrying about his real or imaginary diseases and having them treated by a host of puzzled specialists. On the contrary, he hates illness so much that he always shows reluctance to consult a doctor or undergo a regular medical checkup for fear of discovering an affection. In case of unmistakable trouble, he may choose to simply ignore it, or to fight bitterly against it in the hope of recovering his well-being as rapidly as possible.
A slowing down of physiological exchanges is always possible in his case. Unless he takes appropriate preventive measures, hypotension is likely to set in, so are arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, constipation, and faulty elimination of toxins. Even in the best conditions the prospect of his machine's getting clogged up could not be definitely averted.
Nobody would contest the Dog man's image as an extremely hard worker. But his worst weakness lies precisely here: He tends to overestimate his power of endurance and push his luck too far, always hoping that everything will be all right. He easily lets himself be caught up in the train of his multiple activities, paying no attention to his minor and major miseries as though they simply did not exist. And when suddenly cut down by an illness, he will be the first one to be surprised - and furious because he does not give himself the right to fall ill.
In all good common sense, he must fully realize his own limits and respect his own physiological tempo. Basically a peasant like his Buffalo counterpart, he can find his interest in adapting his rhythm to that of nature - by rising and going to bed with the sun, eating mostly seasonal products, and leading a simple life.
Daily physical exercise would be more indispensable to him than to others because of his greater tendency to go rusty. An extended period of inactivity could rapidly introduce a self-intoxication process in him, which is likely to entail as nefarious as varied consequences. While a moderate sport is highly recommendable, systematic gymnastics, practiced every day, would be vital. He must also force himself to take a long walk every now and then, preferably in a wood or the countryside.
People often say of the Dog male: "He's born an old man." The remark is fairly accurate, for the native never offers an air of freshness and insouciance, even as a child. He always looks morose, tense, austere, even tormented, as if suffering eternally from constipation or disappointment. In addition, with his awkward gait and slight stoop, he gives out every indication that he carries all of the world's misfortunes on his shoulders.
This individual is never quite happy with the physical aspect he projects. It pains him to realize his natural stiffness, clumsiness, and lack of refinement. If he labors under timidity, it is because he feels ill at ease in his body which he finds unattractive and unprepossessing.
He is often thin, even emaciated, no matter how rich his diet may be. With his high, bony stature, his narrow shoulders, his long and gnarled hands, he presents a rather caricatural appearance - and he knows it.
His health is basically sound. His most appreciable advantage lies in his tremendous nervous stamina - he can resist the stresses and strains of modern life better than the majority of people. Although his organism tends to show outward signs of senescence somewhat prematurely, he feels better and better physically as he advances in years and his endurance increases with age. He almost inevitably suffers from arthritis during a major part of his life and for this reason, according to popular belief, is not exposed to untimely natural death.
This is essentially an emotional person whose reactions do not lack intensity. But people around him are hardly aware of it because he exercises self-control very well - perhaps too well to stay on the safe side healthwise.
He is not a hypochondriac in the usual acceptation of the word, that is, he does not spend his time worrying about his real or imaginary diseases and having them treated by a host of puzzled specialists. On the contrary, he hates illness so much that he always shows reluctance to 
consult a doctor or undergo a regular medical checkup for fear of discovering an affection. In case of unmistakable trouble, he may choose to simply ignore it, or to fight bitterly against it in the hope of recovering his well-being as rapidly as possible.
A slowing down of physiological exchanges is always possible in his case. Unless he takes appropriate preventive measures, hypotension is likely to set in, so are arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, constipation, and faulty elimination of toxins. Even in the best conditions the prospect of his machine's getting clogged up could not be definitely averted.
Nobody would contest the Dog man's image as an extremely hard worker. But his worst weakness lies precisely here: He tends to overestimate his power of endurance and push his luck too far, always hoping that everything will be all right. He easily lets himself be caught up in the train of his multiple activities, paying no attention to his minor and major miseries as though they simply did not exist. And when suddenly cut down by an illness, he will be the first one to be surprised - and furious because he does not give himself the right to fall ill.
In all good common sense, he must fully realize his own limits and respect his own physiological tempo. Basically a peasant like his Buffalo counterpart, he can find his interest in adapting his rhythm to that of nature - by rising and going to bed with the sun, eating mostly seasonal products, and leading a simple life.
Daily physical exercise would be more indispensable to him than to others because of his greater tendency to go rusty. An extended period of inactivity could rapidly introduce a self-intoxication process in him, which is likely to entail as nefarious as varied consequences. While a moderate sport is highly recommendable, systematic gymnastics, practiced every day, would be vital. He must also force himself to take a long walk every now and then, preferably in a wood or the countryside.