﻿230 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  D. 
  Waller. 
  The 
  Physiological 
  Cost 
  of 
  Muscular 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  energy 
  output 
  is 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  

   work 
  ; 
  the 
  load 
  varies 
  from 
  a 
  very 
  low 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  level 
  according 
  as 
  small 
  

   or 
  large 
  consignments 
  come 
  in 
  during 
  the 
  twenty-four 
  hours. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  difference 
  we 
  have 
  observed 
  in 
  cold 
  storage 
  work 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   ordinary 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  consists 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  marked 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   hourly 
  increased 
  output 
  of 
  CO2, 
  to 
  which 
  attention 
  was 
  drawn 
  in 
  an 
  earlier 
  

   portion 
  of 
  this 
  report, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  best 
  shown 
  by 
  a 
  graph 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  (or 
  

   night) 
  output. 
  The 
  CO2 
  ordinate 
  climbs 
  steeply 
  from 
  hour 
  to 
  hour, 
  from 
  

   its 
  "minimum 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  work. 
  

  

  Our 
  cold 
  storage 
  observations 
  were 
  undertaken 
  with 
  the 
  definite 
  expecta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  finding 
  a 
  distinct 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  physiological 
  cost 
  of 
  work, 
  and 
  

   we 
  must 
  confess 
  that 
  the 
  correlation 
  that 
  must 
  be 
  believed 
  in 
  has 
  not 
  come 
  

   up 
  to 
  our 
  expectations. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  masked 
  by 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  fluctuations 
  

   of 
  work 
  done. 
  We 
  shall 
  not 
  attempt, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  measure 
  the 
  correlation, 
  

   and 
  shall 
  simply 
  state 
  results. 
  

  

  Our 
  first 
  set 
  of 
  readings 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  six 
  days, 
  January 
  30th 
  

   to 
  February 
  4th, 
  at 
  the 
  East 
  Surrey 
  Docks 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  subjoined 
  

   Table 
  and 
  graph. 
  

  

  Cold 
  storage 
  work 
  forms 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  labour 
  of 
  the 
  

   East 
  Surrey 
  Docks 
  ; 
  the 
  " 
  load 
  " 
  fluctuates 
  accordingly 
  ; 
  the 
  men 
  do 
  not 
  like 
  

   the 
  work, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  piece-work 
  and 
  highly 
  remunerated. 
  

   The 
  energy 
  output 
  of 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  labourers 
  under 
  observation, 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  

   their 
  CO2 
  ordinate, 
  measured 
  at 
  hour 
  intervals, 
  was 
  surprisingly 
  low. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  set 
  of 
  readings 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  us 
  (Gr. 
  de 
  D.), 
  by 
  courtesy 
  

   still 
  of 
  the 
  Port 
  of 
  London 
  Authority, 
  at 
  the 
  cold 
  storage 
  chambers 
  adjacent 
  

   to 
  Smithfield 
  Market, 
  where 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  more 
  continuous, 
  consisting 
  in 
  the 
  

   daily 
  (or 
  rather 
  nightly) 
  transfer 
  of 
  meat 
  from 
  cold 
  storage 
  to 
  market, 
  and 
  

   in 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  irregular 
  bouts 
  of 
  heavy 
  labour 
  occasioned 
  by 
  arrivals 
  of 
  

   van-loads 
  of 
  meat 
  from 
  ships 
  arriving 
  in 
  harbour. 
  The 
  labourer, 
  standing 
  

   by 
  or 
  tidying 
  up 
  on 
  his 
  basal 
  wage, 
  is 
  suddenly 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  work 
  at 
  full 
  

   pressure 
  on 
  piece-work 
  in 
  a 
  gang 
  where 
  each 
  member 
  is 
  working 
  for 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  of 
  himself 
  and 
  of 
  his 
  mates. 
  Physiologically, 
  his 
  energy 
  output 
  is 
  

   now 
  maximal. 
  

  

  These 
  conditions 
  of 
  work 
  afford 
  an 
  excellent 
  opportunity 
  of 
  testing 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  Method 
  B, 
  which 
  serves 
  obviously 
  to 
  give 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  

   increasing 
  or 
  diminishing 
  work 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  allow 
  of 
  

   averaging 
  from 
  successive 
  days 
  or 
  nights, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  ordinary 
  dock 
  

   labour 
  (v. 
  Part 
  I). 
  We 
  must 
  evaluate 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  cold-storage 
  labour 
  from 
  

   periods 
  of 
  really 
  heavy 
  work, 
  rejecting 
  altogether 
  periods 
  of 
  " 
  standing 
  by 
  ,' 
  

   during 
  which 
  the 
  energy 
  output 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  subnormal. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  