ACTION OF OPIUM ON PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTION TIME 23 



ciation test and at the same time eliminated as much as possible 

 memory and habituation or familiarity. The subject in every 

 case was expected to go through the mathematical process in his 

 mind and not to rely on his memory at all. Great attention was 

 paid in the association tests to the number of errors made, and 

 these were recorded for comparison of the normal reaction time 

 with that obtained after the administration of a drug. 



After the normal simple and complex reaction times were 

 established in any one experiment, the subject was given a 

 drug. All the drugs were given under the supervision of Dr. 

 Macht by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, which in- 

 sured their prompt and complete absorption in a few minutes. 

 The reaction times were then again measured in several series 

 and the results tabulated and analyzed. 



In testing simple reactions to sound, touch and light, the 

 number of readings taken were generally from twenty to fifty or 

 more in each series. In testing the association time, twenty 

 problems were submitted by each method. An average reading 

 was computed with the help of a calculating machine, thus 

 saving an enormous amount of time, and the mean variations were 

 also computed by means of an adding machine, in accordance 

 with Dunlap's method (11). 



Control experiments were occasionally made with injections 

 of physiological saline solution, while the subject was under 

 the impression that he was receiving a drug. It may be here 

 stated that in such cases no definite change in the reaction time 

 was noted. 



SUMMARY OF EXPERIMENTS 



Thirty experiments were made in all, each lasting from two to 

 four hours. 



Morphin sulphate was administered in seventeen experiments, 

 the dosage varying from 4 mgm. (^ grain) to 15 mgm. (J grain). 



Narcotin hydrochloride was injected in three experiments, 

 the doses being 10 mgm., 15 mgm. and 15 mgm. respectively. 



Narcophin, which is a mixture of morphin and narcotin 

 meconates in proportion of 1 to 2, was employed in three experi- 

 ments, the doses being 12 mgm. and 20 mgm. 



