BODY CONTROL AND HABIT FORMATION 365 



fore. But he found that after a few minutes, in most cases, a 

 slowing of mental action began, becoming more and more marked, 

 and enduring as long as the alcohol was in active operation in the 

 body, i.e. four to five hours. . . . Kraepelin found that it was 

 only more or less automatic work, such as reading aloud, which was 

 quickened by alcohol, though even this was rendered less trust 

 worthy and accurate." Again : " Kraepelin had always shared 

 the popular belief that a small quantity of alcohol (one to two 

 teaspoonfuls) had an accelerating effect on the activity of his mind, 



CONDITIONS, 



Average -number -figures 

 -memorized 



5 ix 



Yion-alcolaoL 

 days. 



1280*66 



alcohol 

 days. 



non 



,-: alcohol 



daijs 



alcoTaol 

 days, 



Effect of use of alcohol on memory. 



enabling him to perform test operations, as the adding and sub 

 tracting and learning of figures more quickly. But when he came 

 to measure with his instruments the exact period and time occupied, 

 he found, to his astonishment, that he had accomplished these 

 mental operations, not more, but less, quickly than before. . . . 

 Numerous further experiments were carried out in order to test 

 this matter, and these proved that alcohol lengthens the time taken 

 to perform complex mental processes, while by a singular illusion the 

 person experimented upon imagines that his psychical actions are 

 rendered more rapid." 



