366 BODY CONTROL AND HABIT FORMATION 



Attention - - that is, the power of the mind to grasp and con- 

 sider impressions obtained through the senses - - is weakened by 

 drink. The ability of the mind to associate or combine ideas, the 

 faculty involved in sound judgment, showed that when the persons 

 had taken the amounts of alcohol mentioned, the combinations of 

 ideas or judgments expressed by them were confused, foggy, senti- 

 mental, and general. When the persons had taken no alcohol, 



.ONDITIONS- 



Avera&e time in >mnutes 



\0 20 30 



5 



0) <D 



_o 



I O days 



WITHOUT 

 alcohol 



IS-mm.^sec. 



8days 



WITH. 



ELLCC 



alcohol 



30mm48sec 



i& 







4 days 



WITHOUT 

 alcohol 



2 6 days 



i 

 alcohol 



24mnm!6sec. 



The effect of alcohol upon ability to do mental work. 



their judgments were rational, specific, keen, showing closer ob- 

 servation. 



The words of Professor Helmholtz at the celebration of his seven- 

 tieth birthday are very interesting in this connection. He spoke of 

 the idr.MS flashing up from the depths of the unknown soul, that 

 lies at the foundation of every truly creative intellectual produc- 

 tion, and closed his account of their origin with these words : 

 ' The smallest quantity of an alcoholic beverage seemed to frighten 

 these ideas away.' - DR. G. SIMS WOODHEAD, Professor of Pa- 

 thology, Cambridge University, England. 



Professor Von Bunge (Textbook of Physiological and Pathological 

 Chemistry] of Switzerland says that : " The stimulating action 

 which alcohol appears to exert on the brain functions is only a para- 



