68 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH RESTRICTED DIET. 



but in general the quality of the food was not altered. The curtailment 

 of the diet was therefore wholly in the quantity served and not in the 

 kinds of food. In other words, the men were served the same food, but 

 were given what might be termed "half portions." The food in Woods 

 Hall meets the strictest sanitary requirements for care in preparation 

 and service, is well cooked, and is relished by the entire student body. 

 The whole undertaking is a most successful undergraduate cooperative 

 venture. 



METHODS OF WEIGHING AND APPORTIONING. 



The portions of food served to subjects were either weighed at the 

 time or measured in carefully calibrated vessels or dishes. There were 

 no estimated weights. To provide representative samples of the 

 entire meal for analysis, two enamel dishes holding approximately 1 

 liter were labeled respectively "thirteenth man" and "fourteenth 

 man." An equivalent weight of such food materials as were served to 

 the individual members of the squad was placed in each of these dishes ; 

 the samples thus represented the kind and amount of food actually 

 served to the members of the squad. Certain staples, such as butter, 

 jelly, sugar, etc., were generally omitted since repeated analysis had 

 shown their uniformity in composition. 



At the beginning of the research, to simplify matters, all the men 

 were served exactly the same quantity, so the amounts apportioned to 

 the thirteenth and fourteenth men, respectively, represented exactly 

 that served to each member of the squad. Subsequently, additions 

 were made to the basal ration in certain cases, particularly when the 

 loss in weight was too rapid or when the loss in weight was as large as 

 was desired and the period of feeding for weight maintenance began. 

 In general, however, the selection of food was such as to make the basal 

 diet essentially the same for all the men, the supplementary amounts 

 being usually supplied by standard materials such as sugar, butter, etc. 

 When a special dish was served and one or two members of the squad 

 were unable to eat it, weighed portions of the food were sent to the 

 Nutrition Laboratory, where special analyses were made for subsequent 

 calculation of these necessary deductions. 



The food samples were practically all collected in quart fruit jars and 

 sealed with a rubber ring and glass top. One jar would contain one or 

 two meals, according to the amount of food served per day, but each 

 meal was given a separate number and the samples in the thirteenth and 

 fourteenth pans designated as " a" and "6."^ This system of sampUng 

 in duplicate was followed throughout the entire 4 months of the 

 observation. 



The jars for the samples were shipped at frequent intervals in cases 

 so constructed as to provide against breakage. One of the most 



»See table 30, p. 266. 



