THE EFFECT OF FOOD RESTRICTION DURING WAR ON MORTALITY IN COPENHAGEN

As I have already pointed out,¹the blockade placed the people of Denmark in a very serious situation. We had been importing more than half of our bread cereals and a very considerable amount of corn and oil cakes for the use of domestic animals. While Denmark had only half as large a supply of rye and potatoes per capita as Germany, Denmark had proportionately twice as many domestic animals. The reason for this advantageous state of affairs was that the committee which had charge of proportioning the crops between man and animals (April 4, 1917) was converted to the newer ideas on nutrition. No attention was paid to the protein minimum; it was held that this minimum was so low for man that it could not be reached, provided sufficient calories were furnished. While fat was regarded as a very valuable addition to the dietary, it was not