Disease and Illness

Starvation III

So, you’ve burned all your fat and muscle or environmentally available protein/sugar. So then what? Does your brain just kinda send out all the other organs’ pink slips and everything just punches out all at once? It’s what happens when you bleed out so it’s not a ridiculous scenario, but not the case in starvation.

At this point, you begin to die. Please note that death is a medical term and there are different degrees of ‘dead.’ For starvation, your brain sends pink slips to some organs, not all. Mostly organs involved in the GI tract, as well as some body systems such as your immune system. But what the hell, brain, is this a dictatorship or something? Is the brain too big to fail? No, no it is not. Areas of the brain, mostly outer layers involved in higher functioning, are also shut down. All incapacitated organs are in a state very similar to a fresh corpse, which is a reversible sort of death.

So, at that point one is partially dead. Eventually your brain gets shunted to the point where you even forget you are hungry and swallowing becomes painful, and minimal movement like walking around stops. If no energy is given at that point, the heart will no longer have enough sodium to maintain the Na/K pump. And working under the assumption that no one noticed the individual starving, no one will notice cardiac arrest and death follows.

But if your brain and body chemistry change so radically, how does this effect the personality and behaviors of the starved individual? Well, some folks in Minnesota were keen to document this.

Among the conclusions from the study was the confirmation that prolonged semi-starvation produces significant increases in depression, hysteria and hypochondriasis as measured using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) (a standardized test administered during the experimental period). Indeed, most of the subjects experienced periods of severe emotional distress and depression.^[1]^:161 There were extreme reactions to the psychological effects during the experiment including self-mutilation (one subject amputated three fingers of his hand with an axe, though the subject was unsure if he had done so intentionally or accidentally).^[4] Participants exhibited a preoccupation with food, both during the starvation period and the rehabilitation phase. Sexual interest was drastically reduced, and the volunteers showed signs of social withdrawal and isolation.^[1]^:123-124 The participants reported a decline in concentration, comprehension and judgment capabilities, although the standardized tests administered showed no actual signs of diminished capacity.

A decline in judgement is the key here. Because historically speaking, if you are in a place that is starving you, some judgment on how to get out of that place will be needed. What if you are… frozen in place…? All you have are your comrades? Maybe with a fully functioning brain you can say ‘I would never engage in cannibalism!’ but after going through everything we have discussed, a fresh corpse may seem like Christmas to you. Alternatively, a malnourished child who has fallen below the poverty line may not be able to function at the same capacity as their well-fed class mates.