"They represented," says Professor Chit-so tenden, "a great variety of types: of different ages, nationalities, temperaments, and degrees of intelligence. They were men accustomed to living an active life under varying conditions, and they naturally had great liking for the pleasures of eating. Further, it should be remembered that, although the men had volunteered for the experiment, they had no personal interest whatever in the principles involved, and it could not be expected that they would willingly incommode themselves, or suffer any great amount of personal inconvenience. Again, there were necessary restrictions placed upon their movements, when relieved from duty, which constituted something of a hardship in the minds of many of the men and added to the irksomeness and monotony of their daily life. Regularity of life was insisted upon, and this was a condition which brought to some of the men a new experience. These facts are mentioned because their recital will help to make clear that, from the standpoint of the men, there were certain depressing influences connected with the experiment which would add to any personal discomfort caused by restriction of diet.

"The ordinary army ration to which these men were accustomed was rich in proteid, especially in meat, and during the first few days they were allowed to follow their usual dietary habits, in order that data might be obtained bearing on their average food consumption. The details of one day's food intake will suffice to show the average character and amount of the food eaten per man:

Breakfast

Beefsteak 222 grams (71/3 oz.), gravy 68 grams (21/3 oz.), fried potatoes 234 grams (72/3 oz.), onion 34 grams (1 oz.), bread 144 grams (42/8 oz.), coffee 679 grams (22 2/3oz.), sugar 18 grams (2/3 oz.)

Dinner

Beef 171 grams (52/3 oz.), boiled potatoes 350 grams (112/3 oz.), onions 55 grams (2 oz.), bread 234 grams (7 2/3 oz.), coffee 916 grams (30½ oz.), sugar 27 grams (1 oz.)

Supper

Corned beef 195 grams (6½ oz.), potatoes 170 grams, (52/3 oz.), bread 158 grams (7 2/3 oz.), fruit jelly 107 grams (32/3 oz.), coffee 450 grams (15 oz.), sugar 21 grams (2/3 oz.)

"It is not necessary to comment upon the large proportion of proteid matter in the day's ration; the three large portions of meat testify clearly enough to that fact, while the three equally large volumes of coffee indicate a natural disposition toward generous consumption of anything available. Habit, reinforced by inclination, has evidently placed these men on a high plane of food consumption.

"For a period of six months, a daily dietary was prescribed for the subjects; the food for each meal and for every man being of known composition, each article being carefully weighed, while the content of nitrogen in the day's ration was so graded as to bring about a gradual reduction in the amount of proteid ingested. The rate of proteid katabolism [breaking down, opposed to anabolism, or building up] was likewise determined each day by careful estimation of the excreted nitrogen, balance experiments being made from time to time in order to ascertain if the men were in a condition of nitrogen equilibrium. Finally, it should be mentioned that the subjects lived a fairly active life, having each day a certain amount of prescribed exercise in the university gymnasium, in addition to the regular drill and other duties associated with their usual work. "As just stated, the amount of proteid food was gradually reduced, three weeks being taken to bring the amount down to a level somewhat commensurate with the estimated needs of the body. This naturally resulted in diminishing largely the intake of meat, though by no means excluding it.

Effort was constantly made to introduce as much variety as was possible with simple foods, though the main problem with this group of men was to keep the volume of the food up to such a point as would dispel any notion that they were not having enough to eat. A second problem, which at first threatened trouble, was the fear of the men, as they saw the proportion of meat gradually drop off, that they were destined to lose their strength; but, fortunately, they very soon began to realize that their fears in this direction were groundless, and a little later their personal experience opened their eyes to possible advantages which quickly drove away all further thought of danger, and made them quite content to continue the experiment." 6

The following is a sample of the daily meals given to the men after the first month when the amount of their proteid food had been reduced:

Breakfast

Fried hominy 150 grams (5 oz.), syrup 75 grams (2½ oz.), butter 20 grams (2/3 oz.), one cup coffee 350 grams (ll2/3 oz.)

Dinner

Baked spaghetti 900 grams (62/3 oz.), mashed potato 250 grams (81/8 oz.), boiled turnip 150 grams (5 oz.), bread 10 grams (1/3 oz.), apple sauce 200 grams (6 2/3 oz.), one cup coffee 350 grams (ll2/3 oz.)

Supper

Fried bacon (5/8 oz.), fried sweet potato 200 grams (6 2/3 oz.), bread 35 grams (1 1/6 oz.), butter 20 grams (2/3 oz.), jam 100 grams (3 1/8 oz.), apple-tapioca pudding 300 grams (10 oz.), one cup tea 350 grams (ll 2/3 oz.)

Total nitrogen content of the day's food 7,342 grams.