SAMA HOOLE: Finally, desperate, Kane accepts the blubber. Orders his men to eat it. Within one week: Strength returns. Hunger stops. No more deaths. Lean protein kills. Fat saves.

1856: Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane's expedition to find Franklin.

His men are hunting Arctic hare. Unlimited supply. Eating 10-12 pounds daily per man.

They're starving anyway.

Kane's journal: "The men are eating enormous quantities yet growing weaker by the day. Their… pic.twitter.com/uXvPUQXwjF

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) December 2, 2025

1856: Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane's expedition to find Franklin.

His men are hunting Arctic hare. Unlimited supply. Eating 10-12 pounds daily per man. They're starving anyway. Kane's journal: "The men are eating enormous quantities yet growing weaker by the day. Their bellies are full but they cry out with hunger." One crew member dies. Autopsy shows: "Well-fed appearance, full stomach, but complete metabolic collapse." He died with food in his stomach. From starvation. Because the food was too lean. The Inuit watching this are baffled. They offer whale blubber. Kane's men refuse it as "savage food" and "uncivilised." Three more men die eating unlimited lean meat. Finally, desperate, Kane accepts the blubber. Orders his men to eat it. Within one week: Strength returns. Hunger stops. No more deaths. Kane writes: "I do not understand the mechanism but the native food has restored the men in days after months of our provisions failed them." He didn't understand it. But he documented it perfectly. Lean protein kills. Fat saves. The Inuit had known this for 4,000 years. British naval command read Kane's journals, noted it was interesting, then sent the next Arctic expedition with the same lean rations. Same results. More deaths. They kept doing this for 40 years. "Savage food" kept saving "civilised men" from dying on "civilised rations." Eventually someone noticed the pattern. By then, dozens of explorers had died eating unlimited food. Because it was the wrong food.