Fascinating study of a little-known project during WWII which saw conscientious objectors volunteering to have themselves slowly starved in order to help save famine victims of Asia and Europe after the war. As COs the did not believe in bearing arms for their country and unlike others they did not volunteer for duty as medics. They became part of an experiment which to this day has repercussions in science.
Mr. Tucker does an excellent job describing Dr. Ancel Keys, the man in charge of the project, and how he wound up starving men who otherwise would have been serving in uniform. He does a good job describing some of the participants in the experiment, explains CO status and its evolution, and discusses at length the physiological and psychological issues involved starvation. Tucker even delves into the moral problems involved with human experimentation, even when it involves people who provide consent.
I got this book on a whim and I'm glad I did. I didn't think I would care much for some of the "guinea pigs" but it would be hard not to be sympathetic with these men who suffered, in their own way, for their beliefs. Includes some black and white photographs.
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