Medicine: Starvation

At Fountain Hill, near Danville, Va., Frank W. Davis, 60, farmer, started to starve himself to death May 12, because he was too old to work, because he had no relatives. He took no food, only water. Last week he was still alive, to his neighborhood’s amazement, but not to Medicine’s. On June 7, threatened with commitment to the insane asylum, he took food again, having fasted 26 days.

Man can starve himself for 70 days before dying, although some die after 17 days and the average is 40 days.* Death results from general and deep catabolism (breaking down) of all body processes.

The well nourished adult on a complete fast loses from 28 to 35 oz. weight daily. That is about 1% or 1 1/2% of total body weight. This loss continues almost constant for eight days. Then the average daily loss becomes smaller. Death occurs when from 35% to 40% of original weight has been sacrificed. Loss of weight seems to be fairly independent of the water intake. It is a fact that a fasting person demands less water than a person on a regular diet. Such a person rarely takes more than a pint (two tumblersful) of water per day. In chronic inanition loss of the original weight can be higher without death than in complete starvation, can be reduced to 40% or 50% of original weight and has been known to have been more. Medical history contains at least one case, a woman, whose weight fell 62% before death.

In fasting until death the following organs suffer the following loss of weight: nervous system 1% to 2%; bones 10% to 15%; organs containing much albumin such as blood, glands, muscles, 40% to 50%; adipose tissue 70% to 90%.

Partial starvation is used as a therapeutic measure in the treatment of many diseases. After the War, in Germany, it was noted that there was a decrease of diseases of the following type: chronic nephritis, ailments of the stomach and liver, Bright’s disease and diabetes, all of which are associated with good living and rich food.

Partial starvation is often a sociological problem. In Greek Catholic countries the religion calls for fasting on almost half the days of the year. Hindus fast for days to solve their moral problems. Saint Gandhi has fasted 21 days without appreciable harm.

Biological research on starvation indicates that the stomach contractions continue throughout. In extreme starvation they may become prolonged and tetanic (griping) in character. Cessation of the actual sensation of pain probably is attributable to cerebral depression and asthenia of the stomach.

*Starved dogs live 21 to 117 days. Their average is 38 days. Average for cats is 20 days, rabbits 15 days, guinea pigs 8 days, rats 2 to 3 davs.