Evening star., 1948-01-15
BY Dr.. Donald H. McLeon

RONNE ANTARCTIC BASE.
Stonington Island, Jan. 10 de-
layeO. - Despite the undoubted
hardships and dangers of the
Antarctic, actual living conditions
here have been accepted as among
the most healthful in the world
And we are a thriving, sun-tanned
group.
The extremist in the Mother
Goose rhymes-who, when she was
good was very, very good, and when
she was bad she was horrid"
nothing on the hoary weather man
of the South Polar continent: The
penetrating sunshine of an occa-
sional summers day contrasts vivid
iy with the drift snow, blizzards,
buttermilk fog and super-cooled,
moist winds which jostle each
other to be at us.
We are virtually infection free.
There are no animal disease
carriers in this barren land where
there are no land animals. There
are no insect-borne infections,
since there are no insects. Our dogs
do not even have feas. The birds,
our spring, summer and fall COM
panions, only come in contact with
| fish, crustacea and seals. The
temperature, usually below freezing,
is unfavorable to the growth of
bacteria.
Most Have Had Colds.
Dangers of sickness among us
lies, therefore, in exposure to virile
new bacteria against which our
system has not had an opportunity
to produce specific antibodies and
antitoxins. We do, of course, have
those bacteria we brought along
with us, bacteria which are ever
present in the human body, which
we may have harbored for years
and to which we have become i'm
mune
Most of us on this expedition
developed at least one common cold
during our first month here. Sites,
boils, tonsilitis were not unusual,
and we have had one case of
pleurisy. This was in the period
when we were developing an i'm
munity to those infectious organ
isms carried by OUR comrades.
At present, we are each relatively
immune to microbes found any
where in camp. Consequently, it
will not be until our return to civil
ization that we will again be ex-
posed to the ravages of virus and
bacteria. Until then we can do
nothing but fortify ourselves by
clean, healthy living, then treat
the new conditions as they arise.
They are likely to be more severe
than would result from exposure
to infection under other circum-
stances The system of acclimatiza-
ton will have to be repeated on a
larger and more gradual scale.
Sinus Unaffected.
There have been certain medical
conditions which have perpetuated
themselves in spite of our isolation.
A chronic sinus infection has con-
tnued to be as. debilitating for the
last year as it was in the five years
proceeding. There has been no de-
cline in the progress of dental
cavities.
Our food, while confined within
the limits of conventional polar diet,
has been plentiful and well bal
anced, with sufficient calories to
maintain a strong constitution. A
great deal of fresh meat-steak or
beef five times a week.-Mrs. elimi-
mated any possible chance of scurvy.
Nearly every one has gained
weight as q result of the wholesome
food and clean living, one of us
putting on no less than As pounds.
Although there are outstanding
contrasts in the extremes Of our
weather, the dust-free air is fresh
and invigorating at all times. While
the ''base-wallah" is snugly bundled
up in camp beside a pot-bellied
stove 1gorged with anthracite, the
man sledging across the wastes or
plotting through rarified air is the
one threatened by these erratic
tides of temperature. His savior is
his fuel. His fuel is his food. His
food is over one-third fat.
Fatty Diet Necessary.
A high-fat diet is necessary be-
cause fat gives more units of energy
(calories) easily converted to heat
than the other two basic food types
carbohydrates such as sugar and
starch, or proteins found in milk,
meat and eggs. The maximum pro-
portion of fat which can be abb
sorbed and utilized by the human
body is between 80 and 40 per cent.
Butter is an ideal source of fat
as it >is so easily assimilated. We
eat it melted with snow in oatmeal,
for breakfast, prepared as we lie in
our sleeping bags, miserly lending a
single arm to the cooking. We
smear it heavily on our biscuits
when the sledge party makes brief
stop for lunch and again at night
on biscuits eaten with our concen-
trated dinner meal of pemmican.
While sledging over the difficult
Antarctic terrain, each of us eats
at least a quarter of pound OF
butter day-which boosts our menu
to a total of $500 calories per day.
Sunburn Is Danger.
During a sunny summer day, it
is not unusual for men driving a
dog team to strip to the waist In
perfect comfort although the tenn
perature is below freezing. The vast
white snow surfaces reflect the suns
rays and heat from all directions.