George A. Brown (Bro)

November 10, 1917

1,402 net calories on this date. "At times I feel a little weak, but as compared with last year, when eating all I wanted, I now feel much better and have 'pep' left after the day is over." One of the greatest deprivations has been the fact he could not eat candy, etc., between meals; had been in the habit of getting candy and peanuts between meals when going downtown and passing a drugstore; has not felt painfully hungry at any time, but sometimes hungry just before supper. In general potatoes and milk taste best to him. Craves nothing except candy; would order a large steak with plenty of gravy.

December 6, 1917

Was "terribly" hungry the other day; could not study.

December 8, 1917

"I feel all right. It is too near meal-time to feel otherwise. I am occasionally hungry".

December 12, 1917

In evening stomach feels rumbling and queer.

December 19, 1917

"Not so hungry".

January 12, 1918

Net calorie intake, 1,536 calories; previous two days, 699 and 883 calories. "I do not have enough to eat. I feel better now than right after supper. I seem to notice the reduction in food more this time than I did the first time. Perhaps the cut is a greater one".

January 14, 1918

Hungry.

January 15, 1918

Hungry.

January 16, 1918

Weak but better (double portion of food).

January 17, 1918

Feel good but lack "pep," i. e., life and snap (double portion of food).

January 26,1918

Net calorie intake, 1,927; averaged about 1,500 calories for the previous 6 days. "The past few days I have been rather weak and hungry at times".

January 29, 1918

Feel good (double portion of food).

February 2, 1918

"Is the food you are now getting sufficient to satisfy hunger?" "Yes." "Any hunger pains?" "Not in the last two days." "What has been the chief disagreeable feature of the whole experiment to you?" "Feeling hungry and thinking of all the good things I might have to eat, but particularly hated to go without candy and sweet things of that nature".

February 8, 1918

"Following the experiment I found that I had lots of gas and a sour stomach, no indigestion or diarrhea, or special pains. Concerning the experiment in general I think several of the men tried to arrange their work to accommodate themselves to the hunger. In my own case I could study pretty well following meals, but an hour or an hour and a half before meals I found it much better to occupy myself in arranging the books on the shelves in the library. I thought of the food so much and it had to be so scientific. If I only could have had a little candy I would have given up all the bread in a meal for it. If I could have had the food and eaten it when and how I pleased, just the same amount, it would have seemed much better to me. That is, I wanted some freedom in reference to it. Think the matter of intense occupation a big factor in making one able to accommodate himself to a reduced diet and the presence of hunger. I would be willing to stake all on the absolute reliability of the men under the honor system. I would not have gone into the experiment if watched all the time, as then there would have been the attitude of trying to 'put something over'. Dr. Carpenter was at the Laboratory on the evening before the experiment ended when I had some candy or food and told me to be careful or the temptation might be too strong to take some. I laughed and stated that I had two dozen almond bars, several glasses of jelly, and other food in my room all the time, which had been sent me from home by my people or given by local friends. There was absolutely no temptation to take it under the circumstances, but had the people watched us and checked us, I do not know how it would have been then".

"You will have to hand it to Mr. Fox for being able to get on with the 12 men of our squad, who were so crabbed and complaining most of the time. When we found that the food was cut down, for example, the men complained in an almost rude fashion. Some fellow would say, 'Here, what does this mean; don't I get some of this to-day, or some of that other to-day?' Mr. Fox would just calmly reply: 'I did not plan on that.'"

May 21, 1918

Is now going without midday meals; eats breakfast and supper and thinks that these are not heavier meals than he ate on the three-meal basis, and therefore that he is taking less food than he used to take normally. The experiment ended February 3. Up to the spring vacation, April 3, he ate three meals a day and the amounts eaten were considerably more between February 3 and April 3 than since that time. With regard to a statement sent to Professors Chittenden and Lusk that this regime was not recommended for the army or for men performing severe muscular labor, Bro said: "I should say not. I have myself at other times said, 'I should hate to see our soldiers put on that diet'. Under the conditions of an athletic contest two teams may go through substantially the same motions and the same team plays, but one team does it with more snap and gets there quicker; that team is going to win the game. It was just that added snap and punch that the men on the diet lacked and that would be the essential thing that a soldier must have in order to succeed".

In addition to the personal introspections of the men in Squad A regarding the diet, a few statements are given which were recorded by the experimenters during the progress of the experiment.

October So, 1917

"It seems as if most of the squad overate on Sunday, October 28; on talking with them they all claim that it knocked them out and they would not fill up again in the same way".

January 21, 1918

"Complaint of hunger is comparatively infrequent".

January 25, 1918

Written on calendar near table of diet squad: "10 more days, then toe will eat." The number of days was changed daily by one of the squad.

January 29, 1918

"Everything is going on well. The only complaint is generally about being 'hungry'".

January So, 1918

"The end of it all is the talk of the town".

January 31, 1918

"The craving for meat as the particular article of food which would be the most welcomed when the diet was discontinued after the close of the experiment has never been mentioned, to my knowledge. A good dish of oatmeal with cream, griddle cakes with sirup, ice cream, pies, candy and plenty of it, cake, are the dishes which have generally been mentioned".

February 5,1918

"The diet squad all went to Pec's to a turkey dinner and everyone 'stuffed to the limit.' Chef Hall gives our table special dishes of bulky food such as greens and vegetables".

February 6, 1918

"Bread heavily covered with butter plentifully eaten. Everyone ate to the limit last night." "Men ate quite heavily the first part of the week, but are not eating so much now".

Squad B

The data for the members of Squad B concerning introspection on diet are naturally not so extended as with Squad A. They are accorded here the same treatment as the statements of Squad A. The only note of general interest is the fact that bran was called for by several members of Squad B following the close of the experiment.