466 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH RESTRICTED DIET. 



stricted diet increases in basal pulse prior to work similar to those 

 exhibited by members of Squad A, although it is worth while to note 

 that in certain instances, at least, such as with Fis on February 20 and 

 with Ham on the same date, relatively low basal pulse values are 

 recorded, even after three weeks of unrestricted diet. 



It is, however, more particularly with the reaction to work that we 

 are concerned in this discussion, and the reaction of the pulse-rate to 

 work is with this squad especially interesting as it shows what may be 

 expected for increased pulse-rate with a constant amount of work under 

 normal diet. Thus, during the period with normal diet, the values for 

 Fis are fairly close to 66 per cent. With Har the values range from 

 88 to 126 per cent. With the other subjects the ranges are usually 

 reasonably uniform, although Ham shows a range of from 28 to 74, and 

 Tho an unusual range of 50 to 107. With nearly all subjects, the two 

 or three observations during restricted diet show a distinct tendency 

 for the percentage increase to rise. 



As pointed out in discussing the results for Squad A (see page 461, 

 footnote 1), this increase in the percentage increment following work 

 is in considerable part due to the lower basal value, although the abso- 

 lute increments are not so regular as those found with Squad A. Here 

 we have unquestionably the complicating circumstance of a diet 

 furnishing but approximately one-third of the requisite number of 

 calories, with severe drafts upon body material. 



Considering the length of time required for the pulse-rate to return 

 to normal, we find again wide differences among the men. Thus with 

 Fis, and usually Ham, Sch, Tho, and Wil, most of the values are very 

 low, while with Har, Kim, Lon, and Sne large values are the rule. 



It so happens that of the men in squad B whose records appear in 

 table 107, but three of them were taking the secretarial course, Kim, 

 Sne, and Tho. Tho, after the first two days, had remarkably low values 

 for the time required to return to normal. There is, however, little in 

 this table which throws light upon the point raised by Pembrey in 

 regard to the fitness for physical training and the facilitation of heart 

 action, as indicated by the rapidity of return to normal pulse. 



With normal diet the same individual with the same amount of work 

 had approximately the same percentage increase. One must bear 

 in mind the striking exceptions pointed out in an earlier paragraph, 

 especially in the case of Ham, whose percentage increase ranged from 

 28 to 74 per cent, and of Tho whose increase varied from 50 to 107 per 

 cent. In general the return to normal was reasonably uniform with a 

 given individual. An inspection of these data shows no marked influ- 

 ence of the restricted diet upon the length of time required to return to 

 normal, this not being markedly greater than with normal diet. It 

 does happen, however, that a large number of the lowest values occur 

 in the period of restricted diet and to this degree the results confirm the 



