Those courageous boys: 73 years after the Minnesota starvation experiment. A psychiatrist’s view
S. SarróNeurosciences and History 2018; 6(1): 28-37
Type of article: REVIEW
AUTHOR
S. Sarró
Psychiatrist, MD, eating disorders specialist.
ABSTRACT
Introduction. At a time when most of the Western world was feeling the hardships of war and the tide was turning toward an Allied advantage, an experiment was conducted with conscientious objectors who volunteered to be starved and renourished in a controlled programme.
Development. Intended as preparation for the refeeding of European populations in countries to be liberated, the Minnesota starvation experiment made a crucial contribution to the understanding of eating disorders, mainly anorexia nervosa, shedding light on both the physiological and the mental processes of the disease.
Conclusions. This study examines the immediate and the often disregarded long-term consequences and compares them to non-experimental eating disorders, analysing the common and divergent aspects, suggesting connections with present advances in neuroanatomical and biochemical eating disorders research, and remembering the volunteers who made it possible.
KEYWORDS
Starvation, anorexia nervosa, eating disorders, World War II, volunteer medical research, medical ethics
Neurosciences and History 2018; 6(1): 28-37
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