Do We Know How Much Poverty There Is

This invention provides a method for treating the symptoms of obesity which comprises administering to a human or other mammal suffering from the symptoms of obesity an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of the optically active compounds especially the (-) negative stereoisomers represented by the formula: wherein R1 R2,R3,R4,R5 and R6 are defined by the specification substituted or unsubstituted phenyls, pyridyl, hydroxyphenyl, X is oxygen or sulfur, Y is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, nitro, cyano, azido, amino, acylamino, carboxyamido, trifluoromethyl, sulfate, sulfonamido, halogen, hydrocarbyl and hetero atom-substituted hydrocarbyl radicals, wherein said heteroatoms are selected from the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus and said hydrocarbyl radicals comprise from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and a is an integer of from zero to 3, R2, R3 and R4 are each selected from the group consisting of H and OA, A is H or is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyl radicals, R5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyl radicals; n is an integer between 1 and 3; and R6 is an alkyl chain having between 1 and 3 carbon atoms with the provision that at least one of R2, R3 and R4 is H, that at least one of R2, R3 and R4 is not H, and that R2 and R4 are not both OA, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Preferably, R2 is oxygen. Most preferably, R2 is OA and A is H, and the compound is the (-) isomer.