PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATION. 25 



the theoretical absurdity that after the first experimental ingestion of 

 alcohol the total abstainer had ceased to exist as such. For the pur- 

 pose of experimentation he could scarcely be differentiated from the 

 very moderate or occasional user. A third difficulty was the reluc- 

 tance of total abstainers to serve as subjects, even for purely scientific 

 ends. It may be remarked in passing that if there had been any 

 chance of modifying the results by personal bias, that chance would 

 have been greatest in the case of the total abstainer. Consequently 

 no serious efforts were made to secure a group of totally abstinent 

 subjects. One subject only of this class offered himself, Subject VIII. 

 Unfortunately, business engagements interrupted his sessions before 

 the series were completed. 



For totally different reasons the class of excessive drinkers had but 

 one representative, Subject XIII, though we had three other subjects 

 who at one time had been excessive drinkers, the psychopathic Sub- 

 jects XI, XII, and XIV. The most serious limitation to this class 

 seems to be that the excessive drinker especially resents any consider- 

 able interference with his alcoholic habits. Our one subject of this class 

 was a man who regularly consumed from one-half to one pint of 

 whisky a day. Except for some general observations, his experimental 

 results are quite worthless to us for the following reasons: The time 

 and amount of his pre-experimental drinking could not be determined 

 nor controlled. Even his own statements in the matter were not alto- 

 gether convincing. Still more disastrous was the fact that he flatly 

 refused to abstain long enough for a significant normal base-line. He 

 believed that he " needed the whisky" and he did not propose to jeop- 

 ardize his health by abstinence. None of his results are included 

 in the tables of results, as without a normal base-line it seemed impos- 

 sible to give them intelligible statement. 



The most numerous class of subjects in our investigation was that 

 of the moderate users. This resulted partly from the relative ease 

 with which they could be obtained and controlled, and partly because 

 of the comparatively small moral responsibility of the experimenters. 

 Even in this class, however, care was exercised to secure subjects of 

 maturity and stability of character. Legal age and graduation from a 

 college were made prerequisites in the selection of these subjects. 

 Three of this class of subjects who served for complete series of experi- 

 ments were medical students. Three others were of the rank of 

 instructors or interns. One was one of the writers. 



A particularly interesting group of three subjects volunteered from 

 the out-patient department of the Psychopathic Hospital of Boston. 

 All three had been under treatment for excessive alcoholism, and were 

 still under observation. They made excellent subjects. We would 

 take this opportunity to thank publicly Dr. E. E. Southard and Dr. 

 F. W. Stearns, of the Psychopathic Hospital, for their cooperation 

 in securing this group. 



