During the Russo-Japanese War, the food supply got disconnected and it was difficult to procure on the spot, so the soldiers' energy (calories) came purely through rice, and as the supply of barley rice to the army was stopped by Ogai and others, it led to many cases of beriberi and many deaths.
日露戦争では補給が滞り現地調達も困難であったため、米のみで熱量（カロリー）を補給する事態となり、鴎外らによって麦飯の補給を止められた陸軍では、大量の脚気患者と死者を生み出す結果となった。