Spe

"I feel definitely that my fall term of school would have been better had it not been for the experiment. The condition can not be wholly laid to the diet. The interruptions caused by the trips to Boston every other week were rather serious in reference to any school work. While of course the men would not have been studying a great deal on Saturday and Sunday, yet the trip away from school and the anticipation of these week-ends was something of a disturbance to studying. During the fall term I had to force myself more than usual to accomplish my necessary work. Because of my illness I can not give any definite idea about the diet and my condition in the winter term".

Bro

November 10: No change noted in mental ability. January 12: "I feel good to-night, but the past few days I have been unable to study much; I do not have enough to eat." January 26: "I feel better than usual to-night, with the prospect of only one week more of the experiment; nothing special to note, except that I have not accomplished much work." February 8: "During the experiment I found that I could study fairly well immediately following meals, but after a time or when it got to be an hour until the next meal I was hungry and could not sit quietly and study. At such times I found it better to get up and occupy myself in arranging the books on the library shelves." (Bro was assistant librarian. See subject's comment on diet, p. 279.) May 21: "During the experiment my mental attitude was such that I thought the studies were interfered with by the diet. As I look on it now, it does not seem that there was much interference aside from the fact that one's interest and attention were more or less occupied with the experiment and with looking forward to meal times. It was just as if a basketball game were about to occur; you simply could not help thinking of it frequently. Concerning the matter of mental attitude or disposition, I think it was not a joke but a reality, and in all probability associated with the reduction in diet, although there is possibly some connection with the occasional lack of sleep. We called this condition 'crabbedness.' In my own case I had to work in the library each night until 10 o'clock and I had to get up earlier in the morning; there was no opportunity to make up for lost sleep, and this at times affected my mental attitude, which was frequently that of dissatisfaction and irritability. I recall, as was remarked by myself and others several times, that after Sunday, when the men had had a good meal (and more sleep), they would be decidedly changed in mental disposition and ■ would hardly seem like the same individuals".

Vea

February 2: The experiment has taken considerable of the subject's time and he thinks he has frequently been unable to study as well as usual. "Always thinking of eating". May 21: "Now on the uncontrolled diet it is much easier to do my college work from the standpoint that it is easier to concentrate my attention on it. When I sit down to work I do not continually think of the matter of food. There has been a definite change in mental disposition. Mr. X, who roomed near me, has often said lately, 'Why, Veal, there is 100 per cent change in you since you commenced eating. When you were on that experiment you used to come upstairs, slam your door shut, and commence studying, and you weren't at all sociable.' I also have noticed the change in this regard, but in the experiment it wasn't only just the matter of reduced food; it was the many little inconveniences in connection with the experiment, such as infringements upon the time of the men, so that they could hardly have been expected to be otherwise than crabbed, and at times discontented".

Comments Of College Instructors And Others

There were a number of people in and about the college who looked upon the experiment as a more or less dangerous thing for the men who were serving as subjects. Fellow-students would inquire how the men felt, would watch them closely, and express themselves freely and strongly, usually in a way that was not very favorable to the reduced-diet feature of the experiment. The men were frequently asked if they did not feel almost starved. The outsider would suggest that he himself could not walk down the street if he had to live on so little food. A number of the men experienced considerable difficulty when they went home at the time of the Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations. Parents and friends complained at the loss of flesh which they observed and expressed solicitation as to the probable danger and the outcome of the whole affair. In one case a trained nurse, a friend of the family, tried to interfere, strongly urging that the young man should not be allowed to return to college if he persisted in continuing with this "foolish business." Gul reported to Mr. Fox, December 7, 1917, that a business man prominent in the Springfield boys' club work had offered his services, and those of some other influential friends to help get Gul off the "diet squad".

Another example of the interference from outside people was in the case of Pec. A physician whom he knew well said in the presence of himself and some members of his family that he should by all means drop out of the diet experiment, as he was taking great chances with his personal health and might almost any time find himself gripped by some disease. A day or so later Pec spoke of this incident and made the following remark to one of us:

"I feel bully, and what do I care about my looks, so long as I feel well and fit. We fellows are not suffering anything like the men in the trenches; the unusualness of the experiment is what challenges people's attention; they can't understand why one is willing voluntarily to go on the food reduction when there is plenty of food on all sides. I shall continue to strive for my 10 per cent weight loss and will say nothing about it to members of my family".

Professor Affleck, commenting upon the school work of the men of Squad A, said:

"I am sure these fellows did not try to use their diet-squad experience or service as an excuse in their college studies. It is my feeling that they wanted very much to show that they were just as good as ever, although on a reduced-diet condition. In their courses there was no special consideration given them by the members of the faculty".

Professor Berry made a number of pertinent comments concerning this phase of the investigation. He said in part:

"I feel sure that the members of Squad A were less affected by the psychological conditions pertaining to the diet and to the experiment in general than most groups of men who undertake diet experiments. Usually, so far as my observation has been, the psychological influences play a very important role in dietetic experiments, particularly in the matter of muscular performance of men under these varied conditions. It is my conviction that the psychological element was less prominent in this experiment, and played a less important role than in any other case which has come to my attention. The men were commonly found to be somewhat irritable; they were 'touchy,' like wild cats. For example, it was necessary for me to speak to two of the men concerning a certain matter. I knew the men well and was surprised to find them so irritable and to act as they did on that occasion. I do not feel sure that all this is absolutely bound up with the change to a reduced diet, but it came about in connection with the experiment. With some men it may have been because of the necessity of getting up earlier, with somewhat less sleep, and other more or less aggravating things in connection with the experimental procedure. I believe you will find that there was no measure-able difference in scholastic work. There was no tendency to try to pass in the fact of membership in Squad A as an excuse, and I believe firmly that there was no leniency on the part of the faculty in consideration of the fact that these men were serving on this squad. Possibly the time and the details in connection with the experiment may have engrossed the minds of some serving as subjects so that they appeared to take less interest in college activities, but in general it must be conceded that their work was normal".