167 



In N.'s case there was no such variation. His meals were about 

 the same. 



After taking the alcohol in the morning the only effect experienced 

 by either subject consisted in their being rather more cheerful than 

 usual ; in the afternoon, however, they felt somewhat languid and 

 drowsy. 



' We now passed on to our inquiry into the effect of alcohol during 

 muscular work. 



Atwater and Benedict, who administer 72 gr. of alcohol a day 

 to their subject in 6 portions at different intervals, come to the con- 

 clusion that the utilization of the energy of the whole ration was 

 slightly less economical with the alcohol than with the ordinary 

 diet, especially when the subjects were at hard muscular work, but 

 the difference in favour of the ordinary food was very small indeed, 

 hardly enough to be of practical consequence. From this it follows 

 that the energy of the alcohol was utilized very nearly or quite as 

 well as that of the other fuel ingredients which it replaced. 



Chauveau '), who gave a dog 48 gr. (:= 60 cc) of alcohol, so that 

 the animal got drowsy and consequently did less work, found a 

 decrease in the body-weight when compared with that of a control- 

 experiment, in which an isodynamic amount of sugar substituted the 

 alcohol. Though this evidence has been frequently quoted we cannot 

 appreciate its weight, as also other factors may be responsible for 

 the decrease, e. g. the loss of water through the diuretic action oi 

 the alcohol. Besides Chauveau detects a considerable fall in theCOj- 

 elimination and the Oj-absorption (15,3 7o) during the exercise under 

 the influence of alcohol. We do' not understand why he ignores this 

 altogether and only draws his conclusions from the variation of the 

 respiratory quotient. These conclusions are open to objection but no 

 attempt will here be made to refute them, considering that the dose 

 of alcohol administered to the dog was so disproportional to his 

 body-weight (about 20 K.G.) that no practical results could be obtained. 



DuRiG ^) who made the same walking-tour in the mountains with 

 and without alcohol and compared the results, did not begin his 

 respiration tests before the quantity of alcohol (30 — 40 cc of 96 7o) 

 had presumably been oxidized (i.e. about two hours after taking it) 

 or when only the last small portions of it were undergoing the pro- 

 cess. He comes to the conclusion that, though the alcohol is oxidized 

 during the exercise and although part of its energy benefits the body 



1) Chauveau, Gomptes rendus de I'Ac. d. Sc Paris, 1901, Tme 132. 



2) DuRiG. Beitrage zur Physiologie des Menschen im Hochgebirge III. Pfliiger's 

 Arclnv 1906 Bd 113 p. 341. 



