FOOD IN WAR TIME

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 29, 16 March 1942, Page 8

FOOD IN WAR TIME

MAKES OR MARS ARMIES

All great generals lmvc recognised tlae importance of the proper feeding of their armies. Badly fed troops have neither the courage, nor the physical endurance needed to fight a campaign.

Napoleon impressed on his generals the importance of food by the saying "An army marches on its stomach." Had Napoleon been alive to-day, the discoveries on nutrition in the last twenty years would have been applied to increase the efficiency of his troops. lie would have known all about the effect of deficiency of vitamin A on vision in dim lights; the effect of deficiency of vitamin B1 in producing nervous debility and listlessness, and the influence of the quality of the diet on susceptibility to infectious diseases. Lime Juice and Vegetables In many of the past wars, the number of men who died from deficiency disease exceeded the number killed in battle. Dr. Barnes,, writing in 18(53 about conditions in the Crimean War, says, "The fearful waste of life from sickness in the allied armies during the early part of the Russian War is a calamity still fresh in the memorj'. The fundamental disease, modifying and aggravating all the other diseases which prostrated our soldiers, was scurvy, and the cause was the want of vegetable food." He contrasts the health of the Army with that of the Navy. There was more scurvy than usual among 'the men in the fleet in the Black Sea but "the navy retained its efficiency unimpaired" because they were supplied with some fresh vegetables and lime juice. The records show that more than ten per thousand of the sailors were suffering from scurvy. From what we now know of vitamin C deficiency, if that proportion were suffering from fully developed scurvy, there must have been a very large number affected to a lesser extent.

If that was at the time considered an efficient state of health, the condition in the Army must have been appalling. There is evidence that it was so. According to re-

ports, there were some regiments in which there was scarcely a man free from scurvy. When later in the war the commissariat issued lime juice and vegetables, the scurvy disappeared and what was then considered a "fair standard cf health" was restored. Why Kut Capitulated The 'newer knowledge of nutrition' was not available to militaiy authorities in the War of 1914-18, and there were several striking instances of the effect of food on the fighting efficiency of the troops. Our oavii army in the East suffered from lack of vitamins in their rations. The troops who capitulated at Kut were suffering from beriberi ] due to deficiency of vitamin 81. An outstanding characteristic of this form of malnutrition is nervous debility and lethargy. There is a saying in the East which expresses the progressive psychological deterioration of those suffering from this dietary deficiency. "It is'better to walk than to run; it is bet-< ter to stand than to walk; it is better to lie than to stand; it is better to sleep than to wake! it is better to die than to live.". People suffering from even a minor degree of deficiency in vitamin Bl in their diet have no stomach for a fight. Caused Italian Collapse

It is now recognised that the collapse of the Italian army at Caporetto in October, 1917, was at least partly due to the poor rationing of tlie soldiers. Their ration, in addition to being poor in quality, provided only 3100 calories —20 per cent less than the average of the British, French and German rations. This is a level of nutrition at which soldiers cannot maintain the pliyslcal fitness and the morale needed to fight a battle.

The Italians profited by the experience at Gaporetto. In their Abyssinian campaign, all the new know-1 ledge acquired in the last 20 years was applied to make the army rations fully adequate for health. The result justified the trouble taken. It is reported that health and freedom from disease of the Italian troops reached a level "which lia« never been attained in any army in any previous "war. Vitamins for Alertness In the present war men must be alert and mentally fit •as well as physically fit. It is no longer sufficient that i.roops should be able to march and lire a rifle or thrust Avith a bayonet. All branches of the

Fighting Services are handling highly complicated weapons which can only be used efficiently by men who are mentallj 7 alert with jjerfect co ~ ordination of brain and muscle., lhe quality of the men is almost as important as the quality of the weapons.

Recent research on nutrition has shown that the nervous, system is affected by the quality of the diet. In relatively minor degrees of deficiency of some of the vitamins, the efficiency of the system is impaired. Power of adaptation to dim light may be lessened. There may be a decrease in the powers of concentration and an earlier onset of mental fatigue. Hence, speed of reaction and staying power, Avhich depend on nervous stability, arc definitely afTccted by the nature of the tliet. It is not sufficient that troops should have plenty of food to meet the heavy energy expenditure of fjghling; if men arc; to be Ivept at the highest possible state of efliciency, the ration must contain a sufficient amount of all the vitamins and minerals, the "importance of which for physical f-'id mental efficiency lias been emphasised by . ~11 we . have learned about food in the last 'jr> years. .\fter the War. when information on the rations supplied to the Fighting Forces of 'different ■countries becomes available, it will be interesting to see what correlation there is between the fighting qualities of the men and the nature of their food.