546 APPLIED BIOLOGY 



and vigor of mental operations ; on the contrary even small 

 doses tend to lessen reasoning power. Larger quantities 

 affect the power of attention, judgment, and reason, render 

 the senses less acute, and exert an anaesthetic action which 

 leads to the sleep characteristic of intoxication. Study of 

 many such conditions leads eminent experts on drugs to the 

 opinion that, even in moderate quantities, alcohol tends to 

 have a sedative or narcotic action on the brain. In connec- 

 tion with this statement, may be cited the undoubted fact 

 that alcohol regularly used during the day's work diminishes 

 the amount and quality of work done. This has been ex- 

 perimentally proved by tests with type-setters and others 

 whose work is of such a nature that it is easy to compute both 

 speed and accuracy. Those who command armies and large 

 groups of men engaged in physical labor agree that the use of 

 alcohol during work decreases effectiveness. This is prob- 

 ably because of the sedative action above mentioned. 



It has not yet been possible for investigators to collect 

 and collate the facts as to the effect of small amounts of 

 alcoholic liquors upon large numbers of brain-workers (law- 

 yers, teachers, clergymen, business men, physicians), for 

 the reason that many will not or cannot answer questions 

 concerning their own experience with alcoholic drinks. 

 One list of 892 brain-workers in the United States showed 

 167 total abstainers, 579 occasional drinkers, and 146 mod- 

 erate drinkers. A large number of the moderate drinkers 

 expressed the opinion that the use of alcoholic drinks gives 

 bad results as stimulants to mental work, and many also 

 stated that they used alcohol from habit, and with no expec- 

 tation of being enabled to do more or better mental work. 



In spite of the fact that we cannot say definitely how little 

 alcohol will seriously interfere with the normal functions of 

 the nervous system, it is clear that the brain-worker acts 

 most wisely by avoiding alcohol during his mental work. 

 Whether he will gain or not by avoiding alcohol altogether 



