1874.] Influence of Brandy on the Bodily Temperature tyc. 187 



The mean of the three water days was 98*57, and of the three days 

 with brandy 98'24. 



There appears, then, to be a slight fall on the brandy days. On refer- 

 ence to the larger Table giving the means of the periods, it will be also 

 noticed that in the periods from 10 to 1 in the three hours immediately 

 succeeding the brandy, the rectum temperature was not only lower in 

 two of the brandy periods, but sank twenty-six times to 98*2 or below it, 

 and on one day sank to 97*4 for more than an hour ; while in the corre- 

 sponding periods without brandy, which include an equal number of ob- 

 servations, it only sank three times as low as 98*2, and never fell below 

 this. In other words, out of nine hours when brandy was taken, the 

 temperature was at 98-2, or below it, during 5J hours, while in other 9 

 hours without brandy, at the same time of the day, the temperature was 

 at 98*2 only for f- of an hour, and was never lower. This seems conclu- 

 sive ; for whatever conditions, independent of food and movement, may 

 cause slight alterations in temperature (and the Tables show such con- 

 ditions do act), it seems impossible they should have acted twenty-six 

 times out of thirty-six when alcohol was taken, and only three times out 

 of thirty-six when alcohol was not taken. 



On tracing the rectum temperatures on the several days from 6 A.M. 

 to 1 P.M., the fall after alcohol is well marked on the fourth day, and is 

 quite perceptible on the sixth day, while on the second day it is only ob- 

 vious for an hour, and is not great. The explanation of this want of 

 uniformity may perhaps be that the processes in the body causing varia- 

 tions of temperature may sometimes act in the same direction with 

 alcohol and sometimes in the opposite, or, in other words, may sometimes 

 increase the fall and sometimes counteract it. 



"With regard to the amount of fall, the lowest rectum temperature on 

 the fourth day, when the effect of alcohol was most marked, was 97*4, 

 while in the hours on the same day before alcohol the lowest was 97*8. 

 If the effect of alcohol is measured by this difference, it amounts to 

 0*4 I\ ; if it is measured by the difference in the means of the two 

 periods, it amounts to 0*39 Pahr. It seems fair to assume that 2-16 fluid 

 ounces, or 61 cub. centims., of absolute alcohol produced a mean de- 

 pression equal to T ^- of a degree Fahr. during three hours after alcohol 

 was taken. 



The Pulse and Respirations. 



The pulse in this man was raised in frequency about five beats per 

 minute by the brandy, as will be seen from the following Table, where 

 the means of the periods only are given to save room. 



