58 Effect of Alcohol on Psycho-Physiological Functions. 



yielded the shortest latency found by Dodge and Benedict for this sub- 

 ject, 24 <r. The total average result is a small latency for the first period 

 on normal days. On November 5, a normal day, the first two records, 

 both of which are unaccompanied by voluntary wink, were discarded 

 because there appeared some doubt in the minds of the authors con- 

 cerning the identification of these records. The latencies, 66 and 58 a, 

 for L,and 49 a for I/, are admittedly long, but other than this the curves 

 give no evidence of belonging elsewhere. Of the two remaining records, 

 one, uncomplicated by voluntary wink, yields a latency of 40 a, the 

 other, preceded by a voluntary wink, 34 a for the period. On October 

 29, an alcohol day, two of the records without voluntary winking yield 

 latencies of 43 and 50 a, respectively, one accompanied by a voluntary 

 wink with a latency of 46 <r, and a fourth occurred on the reflex, and so 

 this record could not be measured. The total average for the period is 

 +6 <r, a value which appears to be not much influenced by the volun- 

 tary wink, but on November 12, an alcohol day, with dose A, when all 

 of the records were legible and one of them was accompanied by a vol- 

 untary wink, the average was 41 <r. 



It is therefore clear that the voluntary winking happened so to dis- 

 tribute itself as chiefly to decrease the latency of the first-period values 

 on normal days, and to increase it on alcohol days. The final result 

 of this would naturally be a comparative decrease in the latency of the 

 reflex following the ingestion of alcohol. Under these conditions the 

 disagreement between the two series of results as concerns the action of 

 alcohol upon the latency of the lid reflex seems most likely to be acci- 

 dental, due to the relatively large variability in the reflex time, the 

 few records which were taken at each period, and the method of statis- 

 tistical elaboration. The two series are absolutely in agreement, first, 

 that with this subject voluntary winking, which was very frequently 

 preliminary to the reflex, produced a condition favorable to a shortened 

 latency and an increased amplitude ; second, that under the influence 

 of alcohol voluntary winking is at first almost entirely eliminated as a 

 factor and remains decreased in at least periods 3 and 4. 1 These con- 

 ditions must be held in the case of Subject VI as chiefly responsible for 

 the increased latency and decreased amplitude of the lid reflex follow- 

 ing the taking of alcohol. 2 



1 The data beyond the fourth period would have been so scattered as to yield results of but little 

 significance. 



2 A careful inspection was made of all the records of all the subjects used by Dodge and Bene- 

 dict in their alcohol experiments with a view to ascertaining whether or not voluntary winking 

 could be regarded as a factor of any considerable importance in the interpretation of the results. 

 It was found that in the records of only Subject IX are voluntary lid movements at all frequent. 

 The absence of voluntary lid movements was conspicuous and particularly surprising in the case 

 of the records of four psychopathic subjects. These and some of the normal subjects showed not 

 infrequently records with a voluntary wink following the second reflex, but very seldom was a 

 voluntary wink preceding or complicated with the primary reflex. To consider in more detail 

 the case of Subject IX this man had been in army service and was supposedly used to shooting. 

 However, in approximately 70 per cent of his records he voluntarily winked following the first 

 reflex and before the second stimulus. He showed many instances of a voluntary lid movement 



