MENTAL ATTITUDE AND SCHOLASTIC WORK. 675 



Gar. — November 10: "Have noticed no particular difference in mental 

 ability; I tire easier when sitting in a chair studying." December 19: "Am 

 looking forward to to-morrow morning" (Sunday uncontrolled dinner). 

 January 6: "I feel all right, considering I am the last man to be tested to-night. 

 This week I have been normal in every way; no trouble at all." February 2: 

 "During the experiment I have been able to do my studying as well as usual, 

 but it has not been so with my physical work. I do not seem to require so 

 much sleep as I used to when on full diet. I believe this diminished sleep 

 requirement is related to the diet. Lately I have had something of a 'don't 

 care' attitude in relation to school work and the experiment also. This may 

 possibly be due in part to the general disorganization of the school work on 

 account of the war." February 8: "There was a definite change in the mental 

 disposition with the diet; crabbedness and irritability developed after about 

 the first 2 weeks and continued mostly during the experiment. So far as I 

 was able to note there was no particular change in the ability to study, except 

 as would be associated with some physical weaknesses." 



Gul. — November 10: "Beheve I am mentally keener than when on full 

 diet. I can study for an examination to better advantage now." February 

 2: "Have noticed no difficulty or detriment to my mental work while on the 

 diet. In the two years previous I have had a great deal of difficulty in keeping 

 awake in classes, particularly after dinner and breakfast. This year I have not 

 dozed off in a class any time during the experiment; absolutely no inclination 

 to sleep during class lectures. In this way the diet has made me more efficient 

 in my college work." February 8: "I feel 'logy'; it is hard for me to keep 

 awake in class now that I am eating uncontrolled. This morning I was sound 

 asleep in both classes; on the other hand, I have noticed that I do not sleep 

 well at night; I wake up earlier and do not want to." 



Kon. — February 2: "The chief inconvenience of the experiment has been 

 the weakness and of course the hunger." February 8: "I can now study to 

 better advantage, inasmuch as I do not have the feelings of weakness and 

 the distracting desire for food." 



Moy. — ^January 26: "During the week I have had no desire whatever to 

 study; the condition is partly due, no doubt, to the realization that the 

 experiment is about to end." February 2: "The inconvenience of the experi- 

 ment consists largely in the time required, the getting up early in the morning, 

 which necessitated earlier retiring, and also the time at week-ends for coming 

 down to Boston for the Laboratory experiments there. My studying has been 

 just about the same as last year but I think it has required more will power 

 to stick to it." February 8: "Since the experiment I have been able to work 

 as well as, I would not say better, than when on diet, but at least I can study 

 later, i. e., until 12 o'clock, without weariness. Of course it is not necessary 

 for me to rise so early now. During the experiment when I was hungry I 

 found it most satisfactory to run the typewriter or do some such work rather 

 than try to study. It seemed to me that I could do as much on Sunday after- 

 noon after the uncontrolled meal as I could do in all the rest of the week." 

 May 21: "Looking back over the experiment, it seems that perhaps the men 

 were more or less 'scouting' for trouble when they were on the diet. They 

 were noticing many subjective feelings that at other times would receive but 

 very slight, if any, attention. However, the feeling of weakness or faintness 

 was so prominent and so frequently present that there is no doubting its 

 connection with the experiment. There was also a change in mental attitude. 

 As I told you during that period, I was said by some to be the most crabbed 



