2 Professor Charles S. Sherrington [Feb. 2, 



In another case, that of 200 women tui-ning ahiminium fuse- 

 bodies, the reduction of the working hours per week from (>8-2 to 

 60 notably increased the total output, and of course still more the rate 

 of output. From these and other examples the lesson seems to be 

 that there is for manual labour a certain length of working week, or 

 working month, best suited for satisfactory production in permanence. 

 The length varies with the class of the manual work. If a good 

 efficiency is to be maintained in the factory this " most favourable " 

 length of working month has to be followed. Before that it has to 

 be found out and measured. 



The next point raised was the influence of alcohol on the workers' 

 output. The question has at present been attacked only in the 

 laboratory so far as physiology is concerned. Physiological experiment 

 shows that even a large single dose of alcohol — e.g. 40 cc. — has little 

 or no effect upon the muscles }^er se, but that it does impair the 

 working of the nervous system which actuates the muscles. 



A suitable test in respect of tbe simplicity of the nervous centres 

 involved in it is the knee-jerk. This is a familiar reaction to every 

 physician ; it is a reflex act, the spinal centre for which has been 

 thoroughly investigated. The effect of a single dose of alcohol of 

 30 cc. quantity diUited with 120 cc. of water is to diminish and 

 render sluggish the knee-jerk ; the speed of the response is sometimes 

 decreased by 9*6 per cent., the ampHtude of the response lessened 

 by 48 • 9 per cent. The greatest impairment of the reaction was 

 noted about one hour after the dose. 



Another test of the effect of alcohol on the musculo-nervous 

 actions was furnished by a very simple voluntary act. The person 

 subjected to the experiment was required to move one finger to and 

 fro, that is, to bend and straighten the finger alternately, as rapidly 

 as possible. The rate of movement was examined before and after 

 taking a dose of :')0 cc. alcohol diluted as above. This dose impaired 

 the rate at which the oscillatory movement of the fluger could be 

 performed. The rate was diminished an hour after the dose by 

 8 • 9 per cent. 



Such a movement is not well calculated to test that form of skill 

 which consists in precision. Reasons were adduced for thinking that 

 precision of movement is that aspect of a muscular act which will be 

 most detrimentally interfered with by alcohol. The testing of alcohol 

 effect by the ergograph seems to show that a moderate dose, say 

 30 cc. of alcohol, in a person accustomed to moderate use of alcohol, 

 does not appreciably impair the power of the movement nor its 

 resistance to fatigue. But the movements chosen as suitable for 

 ergographic record are such as give little opportunity for the exhibi- 

 tion of precision or of skill of any kind. 



The next point dealt with was the attempt to devise some fluid 

 which can be injected to counteract the effect of severe loss of blood 

 in the wounded. The properties desirable for the required fluid 



