184 



PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL. 



averages and is included here only for comparison with the regular sum- 

 mary from the differences, which is given in table 33. In table 33 we have 

 followed our general custom, showing the effect of alcohol on the aver- 

 age differences on the left and the effect on percentile differences on the 

 right. From this right-hand half of table 33 it appears that the effect 

 of alcohol on the finger-movements is to increase the average differences 

 about 9 per cent for both doses. That is to say, after alcohol the num- 

 ber of reciprocal innervations of the finger is decreased about 9 per cent. 

 The only exception to this rule after dose A of alcohol is the case of 

 Subject X, who has had considerable practice in playing the piano. 

 In his case the total change is less than 1 per cent gain after alcohol. 

 While this is practically negligible, the exception to the rule in this 

 case is clear. After dose B the exception is Subject III. It is of 



TABLE 32. Summary of the effect of alcohol on the reciprocal innervation 

 of the middle finger as shoum by the averages. 



interest in this latter exception that the subject began the alcohol day 

 with the lowest " normal of the day" of all his experiments. Com- 

 parison with his performance after dose A makes it probable that this 

 accidentally low normal of the day is responsible for the apparent 

 exception. It was exactly such accidental values that our insistence 

 on group values was designed to compensate. It is significant that 

 apart from this exceptional case, the average depression of reciprocal 

 innervation is greater with the greater dose of alcohol. Without the 

 negative case in each group, the proportional change would be more 

 symmetrical. 



The measurements of the psychopathic group in this test contrast 

 sharply with those of the moderate users. Of the three psychopathic 

 subjects, only one, Subject XI, follows the rule of moderate users, the 



