7 2 



INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



believe it to be caused primarily by one or more forms of partial (especially pro- 

 tein) inanition, as will be mentioned in the next chapter. 



Some data upon the loss in weight of the human body in various fasting 

 periods (on water only) were cited by S. Weber ('02) (see table on p. 73). 



The course of the body weight on water alone has been carefully studied in 

 voluntary fasts of 30 days or more by Luciani ('89, '90), Paton and Stockman 

 ('89), Penny ('09) and Benedict ('15). The 40 day fasts of Succi and Dr. 

 Tanner and the 50 day fast of Merlatti were less rigidly controlled. The 

 Tanner case is discussed by Taylor ('20). The Italian "hunger artist," 



lb 10 X 



Fig. 32. — Chart showing the individual curves of body weight in three men (Jacques, 

 Succi and Levanzin) fasting i month, on water only. The curves are nearly parallel, 

 although there are evident irregularities and individual variations. The fourth curve (con- 

 tinuous line) represents the theoretical curve (according to Mayer's formula) for Levanzin, 

 assuming that each daily loss represents the same percentage of the body weight at the begin- 

 ning of the corresponding day. It is clear that the actual loss is relatively greater in the earlier 

 stages, and relatively less in the latter part of the period. 



Succi, underwent four fasts of 30 days each at different times, the percentage 

 losses in body weight for the successive fasts being 22.7, 21.7, 19.2, and 17.2 

 (Schondorff '13). 



Individual variations are evident in the three curves of body weight shown 

 in Fig. 32. That of Levanzin (Benedict '15), with loss of 21.6 per cent in 31 

 days, is the most regular, that of Jacques (Paton and Stockman '89), with loss 

 of 16.6 per cent in 30 days, the most irregular, and that of Succi (Luciani '89, 

 '90), with loss of 19.2 per cent in 30 days, intermediate in character. Falck 

 ('81) stated that the decreasing body weights form a straight line; but it is clear 



