The Oregon daily journal., February 21, 1915, Page 53, Image 53

THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY, MORNING FEBRUARY 21, 1915.v
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Mrs. Emmeline Pankhnrst, Who Frequently Has Undergone Voluntary Star
vation. "The So-Called 'Hanger Strikes' of Our Militant English Sisters
Do Not Entail Real Martyrdom," Says Professor Carlson.
HAT is hunger?
The nature of
hunger was in
doubt until re
cently, when ex
periments by Pro
fessor A. J. Carl
son of the Univer
sity of Chicago
proved conclusively
that the sensations of hunger pangs are due
to vigorous contractions of the empty
stomach.
Apart from, scientific and medicinal dis
cussion the average man likes to know
nhat it really is that urges him to take his
three square meals a day (if he can get
them). So you see three things prompted
Professor Carlson to Investigate the con
trol of the hunger mechanism by a five-day
fast.
Prolonged starvation is nothing new to
science or human experience and the ac
counts of subjective sensations as a conse
quence of prolonged starvation are very
divergent. On the one band some people
have claimed that all desire for food, all
hunger sensations, disappear after three or
four days of starvation, while others claim
that death from starvation Is most excru
ciating. New Light on "Starving."
Neither of these statements is true, ac
cording to Professor Carlson, who also de
clares that the starvation period served to
make him believe:
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That the so-called "hunger strikes' of
the militant suffragettes of England
entail no real martyrdom.
That occasional periods of starvation,
say once or twice a year, in the case
of healthy adult persons, may not
only add to ' the joy of living but
also to the length of life.
i,;ij,j'
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Each Stomach Contraction on the Balloon, Which Was Swallowed, Was Registered by a Sharp-Pointed Needle on Smoke-Glazed Paper, as Shown Above.
As Will Be Noted, the Hanger Sensations Were Weak at the Beginning and End of the Fast, but Strong Daring the Middle.
The Needle Rose Up 4n Ptoportion to the Strength of Contraction.
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I HAVE long been familiar -with, but not particularly impressed by, the
enthusiasts who advocate starvation as a panacea for various ills.
But this personal experience (five days of starvation) leads me to sus
pect that there is more value in some of these measures than is ordi
narily considered.
Civilized man has Iraveled far from the conditions of life among
wild animals and primitive man, with whom enforced starvation was
not uncommon. Occasional periods of starvation, say once or twice a
year, in the case of healthy adult persons, may not only add to the joy
of living but also to the length of life.
Voluntary starvation, like the s -called "hunger strikes" of our mil
itant English sisters, does not entail real martyrdom. Of this I am
quite certain. During my entire starvation period the hunger sensa
tion was strong enough to cause sone discomfort, but not to a degree
that could be called pain or sufferi PROF. CARLSON.
That citation of hunger experiments
on animals In the interest of science
as Instances of cruelty to animals Is
without foundation.
The University of Chicago physiologist
and his assistant per
formed their experi
ments with the aid of
a rubber balloon ad
justed to a flexible
rubber tubing. The
gastric contractions
were recorded ' by
means of bromoform
or chloroform manom
eters. Each contraction
on the balloon, which
was swallowed, was
registered by a sharp
pointed needle on smoke
glazed paper. If the
stomach muscles con
tracted on the balloon the
manometer float rose up
in proportion to the
strength of contraction,
and if the muscles relaxed
the float descended.
During the five days' starva
tion period the two men continued
their usual work during th-i day,
and records of the stomach tonus
and hunger contractions were taken
at varying intervals. During the night
continuous records were taken, beginning
8 to 9 p. m., and ending 5 to G a. m.
Neither Professor Carlson nor his assistant
found much difficulty in sleeping from six
to eight hours every night with the balloon
and the tube in the stomach. The room
was kept dark except for a feeble light
focused on the drum so as to enable care
ful reading of the record.
"I, as well as my assistant, continued
in good health and in fairly good spirit
throughout the starvation period," said
Professor Carlson. "On the fourth and
fifth day we both felt somewhat weak.
Some mental depression was also experi
enced, especially by the assistant oa the
fifth day. He complained of feeling dizzy
on getting on his feet after lying down.
An hour's lecturing seemed quite an effort
on the fourth starvation day, and on the
fifth day we both felt distinctly better
when lying down than when sitting or
standing.
"Both of us slept fairly well during the
four nights of the starvation period, de
spite the persistent hunger contractions
and the unusual surroundings of the re
search laboratory as a sleeping-room. In
some cases a glass of water was taken to
diminish the hunger pangs. I did not en
joy my cigar after the second day; in fact,
smoking tended to produce nausea.
"The sensation of hunger was almost
continuous after the first day of starva
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CARLSON
...iimi
tion. On the fifth day the continuous hun
ger sensation seemed to be tinged with a
peculiar 'burning sensation, also referred
to the stomach, tfie fusion resembling
somewhat the feeling of 'sick stomach,'
with its attgndant central depression.
The appetite during the starvation period
ran practically parallel with the sensation
of hunger. It was distinctly Increased the
first two or three days, and diminished on
the fourth and fifth days. In fact, the de
pression of appetite on these two days
seemed distinctly greater than the depres
sion of the hunger sensation. Instead of
an eagerness for food, there was almost an
indifference toward food, despite the per
sistent hunger call of the empty stomach.
"I am inclined to believe that the weak
ening of the hunger and the appetite sen
sations toward the end of the period was
due to a depression of the central nervous
system. Both in the case of my assistant
aDd myself practically all the mental de
pression and some of the feeling of weak
ness disappeared during the partaking of
the first meal after the fasting period. But
complete recovery from the bodily weak
ness did not take place till the second or
third day after breaking the fast.
"From the third day on we felt unusu
ally well, distinctly better, in fact, than
before the hunger period, although we are
normally In good health and vigor and not
hampered by excessive fat.
How They Felt.
"I FELT AS IF I HAD HAD A
MONTH'S VACATION IN THE MOUN
TAINS. My mind was unusually clear and
a greater amount of mental and physical
A.-ork was accomplishes without fatigue.
I am 38 years old, but the five days' starva
tion period increased the vigor of the gas
tric hunger contractions to that of a young
man of 20' or 25, and the empty stomach
retained this increased vigor for at least
three weeks after the hunger period, when
observations were discontinued.
"Neither my assistant nor myself can
be considered as ordinarily eating to ex- '
cess, though the dally Intake of protein and
total calories are greater than the minimum
requirement advocated by Chittenden. The
cause of the improvement was not -Joss of
excessive adipose tissue. ,
"My assistant states thai the augmenta
tion of hunger and appetite persisted at
least for two or three weeks after the end
of the starvation period."
Now to tell you what Professor Cffrlsoiv'
thinks of fasting:
"I have long been familiar with, but not
particularly impressed-by, the enthusiasts
who advocate starvation as a panacea for
various ills. But this personal experience
leads me to suspect that there is more
value in some of these measures than, in
ordinarily considered. Civilized man has
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Above Is Miss Christabet Pankhnrst, and Below anr Artist's Conception of
Compulsory Starvation, Which, Professor Carlson Says, Is Complicated by
Exposure, Fear and Panic, So Hunger Sensation Cannot Be Determined.
traveled far from the conditions of life
among wild animals and primitive man,
with whom periods of enforced starvation
wre not uncommon. Occasional periods
of starvation, say once or twice a year, In
the case of healthy adult persons, may not
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only add to the Joy of living, but also to the
length of life.
"Voluntary starvation, like the so
called 'hunger strikes' of our militant Eng
lish sisters, does not entail real martyrdom.
Of this I am quite certain. During my en
tire starvation period the hung(fNMnKatlon
was strong enough to cause some discom
fort, but not to a degree tha could be
called marked pain or suffering. The dis
comfort was at no time sufficient to inter
fere seriously with work. And since prac
tically all observers agree that the hunger
,dIscomfort is greatest during tb first few
days of starvation. It seems probable that
our first five days' starvation period gave
us a taste of the maximum discomfort that
would be experienced In' more protracted
fasts.
"Accountsf acute sufferings from mere
starvation, water being at all times avail
able, must therefore be wholly Imaginary,
or the result of fear or panic. Voluntary
starvation Is in no sense a heroic act. and
citations of hunger experiments on animals
In the Interest of science as Instances of
cruelty to animals is without foundation."
Professor Carlson added that all cases
of compulsory ' starvation, as In cases of
persons shipwrecked, explorers and hunters
lost or cut off from supplies, are usually
complicated by lack of water, by the effects
' of exposure and by fear, panic, etc.. so
that the state of actual hunger sensation
cannot be determined.