796 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



one of the most effective steps of organization and monopoly to 

 retain power, namely, the selection of patron saints, the adoption 

 of rites and ceremonies, and the use of banners, badges, and dis- 

 tinctive costumes. Most curiously, master plumbers have not 

 neglected to propose a like step to safeguard their rights and 

 privileges. " We would urge upon the Executive Committee," 

 said Mr. James Ryan, the vice-president of the District of Co- 

 lumbia Association, " to make some recommendation that a ritual 

 be adopted. . . . We would also recommend a suitable badge or 

 emblem be adopted for all local associations, making it a univer- 

 sal badge throughout the country." * I have still to learn, how- 

 ever, that they have chosen a fitting patron saint. Is it because 

 they have not heard of Cagliostro ? 



[7*0 be continued.^ 



EXPERIMENTS ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ALCOHOL, 



MADE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE 



COMMITTEE OF FIFTY. 



By C. F. HODGE, Ph. D., 



ASSISTANT PEOFESSOK OF PHYSIOLOGY, CLAEK UNIVERSITY. 



II. 



IT may be well to call to mind the title of this paper, which 

 is exijeriments upon the physiological influence of alcohol. 

 We purpose to adhere closely to " experiments " and to " physi- 

 ology." Dogs could be killed in a few minutes, or a few days 

 or months, by sufficiently large doses of alcohol. While such 

 experiments might have some interest to toxicology or pathol- 

 ogy, they could not have much for physiology, because in such 

 violent procedures the abnormal must greatly overshadow the 

 normal functions of the animal. 



April 27, 1805, I obtained two pairs of cocker-spaniel puppies : 

 the males, brothers from the same litter; the females, sisters 

 from a not- closely related litter, f All four happened to have 



* Proceedings, Detroit, 1894, p. 72. 



f The dogs were obtained from Mr. C. G. Browning, of Vrorcester, to whom I am under 

 great obligations for assistance and advice as to kennel management. Tipsy and Topsy 

 were bred by him. Nig and Bum he kindly obtained for me from the Swiss Mountain Ken- 

 nels at Germantown, Pa., bred by Mrs. Smyth. Considerable expense was involved in get- 

 ting such good stock, but a number of considerations seemed to render it advisable. In no 

 other way could such uniformity and comparabihty have been attained. The heredity of 

 mongrels could not have been traced, in case anything of interest should crop out in that 

 important, field. In this connection I wish to express my thanks to both Mrs. Smyth and 

 Mr. Browning for valuable aid already received, and for their cordial assurances of help in 

 future, should later developments require it. Another consideration, which weighed some- 



