3 ms·
"Fat" as a description of a person is as medically valid as "stupid". That is to say, not at all. "Overweight", "obese", and others are actual medical terms th
by daeken 13y ago
"Fat" as a description of a person is as medically valid as "stupid". That is to say, not at all. "Overweight", "obese", and others are actual medical terms that have real definitions, quite unlike "fat".
- sdrothrock 13y agoAgreed. All instances of the word "fat" are used by the writer. The only instance of a medical professional saying something that would warrant the word "fat" is Dr. Rolph, who is quoted as saying "overweight."
- nevvvermind 13y agoOh, I see. So synonyms of the word "fat" have real medical definitions. I think it's just that "fat" doesn't sound pretentious enough, so it's not clinical.
- irremediable 13y agoThey don't mean precisely the same thing. "Overweight" and "obese" can be defined, as categories, according to BMI, WHR, body fat percentage or similar. "Fat" is a lot less clearly definable.
- Zikes 13y agoI guess someone should notify Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/fat http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/fat
- StavrosK 13y agoMaybe it's like "retarded"? It was jarring to see in medical texts, but they use it.