EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON WHITE MICE 147 



when thirty-four weeks old. No 8 drops from its maximum of 

 131 473 regularly until the twenty-seventh week; after that its 

 runs are irregular and some are very small. At the same time, 

 from the twenty-eighth week to the end of the experiment it 

 loses 30 per cent in weight. This great loss of weight and its 

 small irregular run indicate that it would have died soon. 



This line of mice started out well. They reached a high average 

 maximum of 111 833 revolutions during the eleventh week. This 

 is much higher than the nicotine or caffeine line at the same time 

 but a little lower than the maximum of the control line. In fact 

 the nicotine line never reaches quite as high an average maximum, 

 and the caffeine maximum is only 93 932 revolutions. But after 

 that the alcohol line drops abruptly and only once exceeds 90 000 

 revolutions. Their total acti^dt}' is 73 per cent of that of the 

 controls. 



The alcohol mice gained 6 grams each up to the twenty-fourth 

 week, which is more than the control mice had gained during the 

 same time. After this, however, they lost 4.5 grams on an 

 average. None of the other lines lost any in weight except the 

 nicotine mice. 



The activity of all the mice in the alcohol line seems to have 

 been checked and lessened. The viability of all the mice was 

 weakened, for two died, one was evidently going to die soon and 

 the fourth lost 20 per cent in weight. This loss in weight oc- 

 curred during the last month of the experiment. The decreased 

 acti\'ity began to show after the mice were twelve weeks old, but 

 the loss of weight and lessened viability did not manifest them- 

 selves until after the mice were twenty-five weeks old. Thus it 

 appears that alcohol had a markedly injurious effect on the via- 

 bility an activity of these mice and that these effects were cu- 

 mulative. 



Nicotine line 



The mice in the nicotine line show more variations than the 

 mice in any of the other lines. No. 10 is the least active and 

 belongs to type 2. No. 11 is below the average in total activity. 

 It has a very unusual record, running its least at the twelfth week 



