132 Effect of Alcohol on Psycho-Physiological Functions. 



effect are not more striking than some that could be pointed out between 

 others of the so-called normal subjects and the average for the normal 

 group. 



The amount of the alcohol effect is variable. The different pro- 

 cesses arranged in order of magnitude of the average percentile differ- 

 ence for periods 2, 3, and 4 are shown in table 28. 



There are 7 instances in which the inferiority is less than 3 per cent 

 and 16 cases in which it is less than 10 per cent. With any one of these 

 relatively small effects, since the number of observations is also statis- 

 tically small, the probable error would be large and a single value by 

 itself could not be regarded as of much significance. The probability 

 that the results indicate the true nature of the alcohol effect is greatly 

 multiplied when many such results fall in the same direction. If the 

 experiment had been limited to the 16 end results which showed an inferi- 

 ority of less than 10 per cent and to the 3 instances of superiority, the 

 case would still be quite definite for the alcohol effect. 



Of the 27 results showing inferior functioning, 11 range from 10.0 to 

 37.5 per cent. Prominent among these are 4 for reflex amplitude, with 

 an average of 24.5 per cent, and 3 for pulse, which average 15.7 per cent. 

 Other than this the repetition series does not indicate clearly that the 

 more simple processes are affected most and the higher processes least 

 by alcohol. 1 Grouping the 30 end results under convenient heads for 

 averaging in comparison with Dodge and Benedict's average results for 

 their normal group with dose A, the summary in table 29 is obtained. 



Table 29. — Comparison of alcohol effects found in two series of measurements. 



1 Average of pulse before, during, and after muscle tension, pulse during finger movements, and 

 "Av. of other pulse data." 



2 This includes memory, word reactions, and mean variations. 



The most conspicuous effect found by Dodge and Benedict was the 

 decrease in reflex amplitude, which is confirmed by the second series, 

 but is not relatively so large a decrement. 2 



Two indications exist for the time relation of the maximum effect to 

 the alcohol dose, viz, the predominance of sign and the average amount 

 of the effect in the different periods. By the former it would seem, ac- 



1 Dodge and Benedict's report, p. 245. 

 2 For comments concerning patellar-reflex amplitude, see pp. 44 and 45. 



