I wrote:
There are even records of people stuck on desert islands and in the
Australian outback without fire who had plenty of food yet starved
to death. Some did; others were emaciated but lived to tell the tale.
It is even worse! Wrangham describes this in chapter 1:
In 1860 Robert Burke and William Wills led an ill-fated expedition
from southern to northern Australia. "When they ran out of food they
asked the local Yandruwandha aborigines for help. The Yandruwandha
were living on the abundant nardoo plant. They pounded nardoo seeds
into a bitter flour, washed it, and then cooked it. The explorers
liked the flour but apparently omitted the washing and cooking. The
result was disaster. "I am weaker than ever," wrote Wills, "although
I have a aood appetite, and relish the nardoo much, but it seems to
give us no nutriment." Burke and Wills died from poisoning,
starvation, or both. However, they had a companion who survived and
joined the Yandruwandha, ate lots of cooked nardoo flour, and was in
excellent condition when he was rescued ten weeks later.
- Jed
