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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1122 



group and found that the average effect was 

 closely approximated by the effect upon the 

 motor coordinations, i. e., finger movement 

 and eye movement. Aside from the prac- 

 tical value of this correspondence between 

 the effects of alcohol on the coordination 

 processes and the average effects, it has 

 a rather far-reaching, theoretical impli- 

 cation. If, in all the diverse processes 

 that we have measured, the coordination 

 processes represent a central numerical 

 tendency, it must be that they correspond 

 in some closer way than the rest to the real 

 central tendency of the alcohol effect. It 

 would seem to indicate that the change in 

 the average performance of our subjects 

 due to alcohol was a function of central co- 

 ordination. If this indication is substan- 

 tiated by later investigations it should 

 prove to be not only of the utmost impor- 

 tance for the understanding of the various 

 manifestations of the effects of alcohol in 

 individual cases and of the general phe- 

 nomena that accompany its excessive use, 

 but it would throw a flood of light on the 

 complex organization of normal psycho- 

 physical processes as well as on the effects 

 of fatigue and other depressing agents. 



In reporting these results I feel that the 

 techniques outlined above have been ade- 

 quate to this type of problem, that the con- 

 trols have been satisfactory, and that the 

 data and interpretations have been pre- 

 sented with the least amount of personal 

 bias that is possible to scientific investi- 

 gators. But naturally these results must 

 not be considered as having settled the alco- 

 hol problem as regards the psychological 

 effects of small doses. As all present know, 

 the literature in this field is very large and 

 there are numerous contradictions in re- 

 sults and interpretations. It is very rarely 

 possible for one investigator to duplicate 

 the apparatus, methods and general con- 

 ditions of another. This is doubtless one 



of the main causes for confliction. We 

 therefore feel that one of the important 

 contributions to our program and scheme 

 of work on the alcohol program should be 

 the continued massing of data over a period 

 of years. It is also advisable that the 

 data should not be collected by one experi- 

 menter. If two experimenters, both care- 

 fully trained, and thoroughly familiar with 

 the same group of methods should use these 

 methods on a different set of subjects, 

 but under similar laboratory conditions, 

 comparisons of these two sets of results 

 should be of great importance. If they are 

 opposed to each other, it is a good index of 

 unknown or uncontrolled factors in the 

 problem, insufficient data, carelessness of 

 technique, or wrong statistical treatment. 

 On the other hand, should these results con- 

 firm each other in the main, and especially 

 if both groups of data are fairly large, this 

 confirmation should place these results upon 

 a plane which is unique in the annals of 

 alcohol experimentation. 



It will doubtless be considered of enor- 

 mous practical significance that in none of 

 our data have we any indication of the pure 

 facilitation effect of alcohol. Contrary to 

 the theory of Kraepelin, we not only found 

 no facilitation of the motor processes, but 

 the depression of the simplest forms in the 

 finger and eye-movements seems to be one 

 of the most characteristic effects of alcohol. 

 Certain it is that, in conjunction with the 

 pulse acceleration, the general neuro-mus- 

 cular depression may be regarded as pre- 

 sumptive evidence of the effect of alcohol 

 on organic efficiency. It is, however, of vital 

 importance in seeking to transfer the re- 

 sults of such laboratory demonstrations as 

 have been here reported to a general con- 

 sideration of alcohol on industrial efficiency 

 to recaU that the higher central processes 

 by reason, we believe, of autogenic rein- 

 forcement showed the least effect. Indus- 



