678 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH KESTRICTED DIET. 



could hardly have been expected to be otherwise than crabbed, and at times 

 discontented." 



COMMENTS OF COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS AND OTHERS. 



There were a number of people in and about the college who looked 

 upon the experiment as a more or less dangerous thing for the men 

 who were serving as subjects. Fellow-students would inquire how 

 the men felt, would watch them closely, and express themselves freely 

 and strongly, usually in a way that was not very favorable to the 

 reduced-diet feature of the experiment. The men were frequently 

 asked if they did not feel almost starved. The outsider would suggest 

 that he himself could not walk down the street if he had to live on so 

 little food. A number of the men experienced considerable difficulty 

 when they went home at the time of the Thanksgiving and Christmas 

 vacations. Parents and friends complained at the loss of flesh which 

 they observed and expressed solicitation as to the probable danger 

 and the outcome of the whole affair. In one case a trained nurse, a 

 friend of the family, tried to interfere, strongly urging that the young 

 man should not be allowed to return to college if he persisted in con- 

 tinuing with this "fooHsh business." Gul reported to Mr. Fox, Decem- 

 ber 7, 1917, that a business man prominent in the Springfield boys' 

 club work had offered his services, and those of some other influential 

 friends to help get Gul off the "diet squad." 



Another example of the interference from outside people was in the 

 case of Pec. A physician whom he knew well said in the presence of 

 himself and some members of his family that he should by all means 

 drop out of the diet experiment, as he was taking great chances with 

 his personal health and might almost any time find himself gripped 

 by some disease. A day or so later Pec spoke of this incident and made 

 the following remark to one of us : 



"I feel bully, and what do I care about my looks, so long as I feel well and 

 fit. We fellows are not suffering anything like the men in the trenches; the 

 unusualness of the experiment is what challenges people's attention; they 

 can't understand why one is willing voluntarily to go on the food reduction 

 when there is plenty of food on all sides. I shall continue to strive for my 10 

 per cent weight loss and will say nothing about it to members of my family." 



Professor' Affleck, commenting upon the school work of the men of 

 Squad A, said : 



"I am sure these fellows did not try to use their diet-squad experience or 

 service as an excuse in their college studies. It is my feeling that they wanted 

 very much to show that they were just as good as ever, although on a reduced- 

 diet condition. In their courses there was no special consideration given 

 them by the members of the faculty." 



Professor Berry made a number of pertinent conaments concerning 

 this phase of the investigation. He said in part : 



"I feel sure that the members of Squad A were less affected by the psycholog- 

 ical conditions pertaining to the diet and to the experiment in general than 



