SUGGESTIONS AND DISCUSSION 



435 



dosages of nicotine and respiratory irrita- 

 tion. Smoking is knowTi to induce peripheral 

 vasoconstriction, lowering of skin tempera- 

 ture, increase in heart rate and to slightly 

 raise the blood sugar level. Blood pressure 

 effects are variable. There is decreased 

 steadiness (increased tremor) and probably 

 some slight decrease in tests of rote learning 

 and memory span. Because of habituation 

 and addiction such effects vary markedly 

 among individuals; it is probably unwise to 

 attempt to change the well-ingrained smok- 

 ing habits of a group of men. The strong 

 personal element in fatigue and stress would 

 suggest that if a man thinks he gets a "lift" 

 from a cigarette, he should be allowed to 

 smoke — always with due regard to the 

 smoking lamp. 



The occasional cautious reference in log 

 books to the effects of a ration of brandy for 

 all hands agrees with informal comments of 

 various submariners; the beneficial and 

 heartening glow is most welcome. Some- 

 thing may be said for it as a sedative for re- 

 lief of "tension." The eventual depressive 

 effect of alcohol makes it imperative that it 

 be used judiciously, e.g., after the peak of 

 demand for activity has passed and cere- 

 monials are appropriate. It plays a more 

 important role during refits and shore 

 periods. 



It would require a more profound (or more 

 presumptuous) treatise than this to offer a 

 "solution" to the age-old conflict between 

 mihtary life and sex life. Thorough screen- 

 ing has eliminated the homosexual, equiva- 

 lent screening for heterosexual activities 

 would eliminate the Navy; men even love 

 their boats. It is not the purpose of this 

 paper to prescribe for men on shore. 



6. Habituation as preparation for stress. 

 There appears to be a sound psychophysio- 

 logical basis for Naval emphasis on repeated 

 practice drill until virtual perfection is at- 

 tained in the performance of both individual 

 and group activities. This would tend to 

 reduce energy requirements and any excess 

 tension involved in the activity. Further- 



more, some degrees of "overtraining" may 

 result in the maintenance of competent 

 performance despite the presence of a very- 

 considerable amount of psychophysical im- 

 pairment. The point is well illustrated by 

 Halstead's account (58) of a concert viohnist 

 who, while nearly 'asleep' from excessive fa- 

 tigue, gave a technically eiTorless perform- 

 ance; another violinist gave an equally fliaw- 

 less performance under conditions of "acute 

 anoxia." The formal aspects of a highly 

 differentiated skill persisted without a con- 

 tinuously associated high working level of 

 consciousness (58, p. 95). 



The value of "trial duty" in the testing 

 and training of men is well recognized. To 

 whatever extent practicable, routine under- 

 sea experience in the actual encountering of 

 depth bombing and escape from apparently 

 "disabled" craft would seem to be valuable 

 preparation for actual warfare. Psycho- 

 physiological study under such conditions 

 might make great contribution to our knowl- 

 edge of emotion. 



7. Drowsiness. There have been several 

 attempts to develop automatic devices based 

 on detectable organic changes for arousing 

 the person who becomes drowsy. It would 

 seem that in a submarine a low-energy radio 

 or wire-connected system by which watchers 

 would respond routinely to an irregularly 

 presented signal from a central station might 

 provide reliable security. Signals might be 

 presented automatically and a lapse of a de- 

 tei-mined interval without response might 

 automatically give an alarm. 



8. Adaptation vs. cumulative effects of ex- 

 citation. That repetition of excitation may 

 lead to adaptation and indifference or to in- 

 creasing irritation and even neurosis is a 

 matter of frequent observation. What are 

 the characteristics of the stimuli, aside from 

 intensity, which differentiate them in this 

 respect? We do not know. What are the 

 psychophysiological characteristics of excita- 

 tion background and response which identify 

 the two types of reaction? We may only 

 guess. Can one type be changed to the 



