242 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



some of Dr. Carpenter's all-night alcohol metabolism experiments when 

 the subject was given alcohol by rectum. They interfered in no way 

 with these experiments and made it possible for Dr. Miles to take 

 electrocardiograms at desired intervals. Tracings from the three usual 

 leads were taken every hour or oftener during the night. The 

 total body and electrode resistance remained quite uniformly in the 

 neighborhood of 2,000 ohms. The Williams-Hindle galvanometer 

 was used. Complete records are available for five all-night sessions on 

 this one subject. These records should contribute not only to the 

 study of the influence of alcohol, but also towards determining any 

 normal nocturnal variations of the electrocardiogram. 



A STUDY OF PRACTICE IN EYE REACTIONS. 



One of the unexpected features of the experimental results of Dodge 

 and Benedict was the practice effect in reactions of the eye to periph- 

 eral stimuli. Previous to their experiments, no very extensive series 

 of eye reactions by the photographic technique on unpracticed labora- 

 tory subjects had been taken by Professor Dodge and theoretically 

 practice in this process was supposed to have almost reached its limit 

 for adult subjects. Dr. Miles has lately made other forms of stimulus 

 apparatus and has tested these intensively with a few subjects to deter- 

 mine the conditions under which practice effect is least prominent. 



TESTING AVIATION RECRUITS. 



Dr. Miles was requested to cooperate in making certain psycho- 

 logical measurements on aviation candidates, in order to develop 

 methods and standards to serve in the preliminary selection of men to 

 be trained in aviation by the United States Government. During the 

 spring the facilities of the psychological laboratory were devoted to 

 this work. Enlisted men taking their theoretical training at the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology were subjects. The men were 

 measured individually. Each subject served a period of 1^ hours. The 

 sessions were from 7 to 10 p. m. and followed the evening meal. Since 

 the men were all physically fit, of about the same age, hving under 

 uniform military conditions, and not fatigued, the circumstances under 

 which the measurements were made could hardly have been better. 

 Incidentally this was an unusual opportunity to secure normal compar- 

 ison data on the psychological measurements employed at the Nutri- 

 tion Laboratory. The work on aviators is continuing. 



METABOLISM IN DIABETES MELLITUS. 



The installation of the special clinical respiration apparatus at the 

 New England Deaconess Hospital and the assignment to the work there 

 of the entire service of two assistants have permitted the study of 

 selected cases of severe diabetes, both prior to and during the fasting 



