No. 645] ALCOHOL AND WHITE RATS 307 



parents and treated grandparents. Two of the three 

 strains represented in this generation show heavier aver- 

 ages for the tests and the third shows heavier averages 

 for the controls; when all the strains together are con- 

 sidered (as in Tahle II), the test averages are higher at 

 all ages. 



This shows a marked similarity to the results from the 

 number of litters; just as the offspring of the treated 

 rats appear to be genetically superior to the controls in 

 the matter of litter production, so they are found to be 

 superior in the matter of weight, with the result that 

 when they themselves are treated, the immediate reducing 

 effect of the alcohol makes them about equal somatically 

 to their controls, instead of growing markedly slower as 

 did their parents. This likeness in results leads to a 

 similar interpretation for the weight as for the number 

 of litters: the alcohol has acted as a selective agent, 

 eliminating germinal material that included factors for 

 slower growth, 



Discussio:n" 



In view of the premature termination of these experi- 

 ments no discussion or interpretation can be justified 

 other than by its possible influence upon future work. 



The data on behavior and litter size taken alone may, 

 if the controls are aece]>tod as adequate, be considered 

 to lead to the general intei-pi-etation of a direct and defi- 

 nite modification of the germinal material brought about 

 by the alcohol treatment. On the other hand, the data 

 on the number of litters and weight, when taken alone, 

 agree in inviting the interpretation that the alcohol has 

 acted as a selective agent upon germinal differences that 

 were present in the germinal material of the original 

 animals. One tendency pulls the race down, the other, 

 by sacrificing the fullest reproductive expression of the 

 treated individuals, tends to pull it up. The specific con- 

 ditions found then are end-results that depend upon the 

 interaction of different influences and do not measure di- 

 rectly the amount of influence exerted by the chemical. 



