412 



Dr. E. A. Parkes on the Effect of [June 13, 



these results accord with the former experiments, it cannot, I think, be 

 doubted that alcohol, in the amounts given in these trials, has no influence 

 on the bodily temperature of healthy men. 



6. The elimination of Alcohol. 

 As only qualitative experiments were made, it is not necessary to do more 

 than state that before the brandy was given nothing could be found passing 

 off by the skin, lungs, or kidneys which had the slightest reducing effect 

 on Masing's bichromate-of-potassium test; while after the brandy a sub- 

 stance which at once reduced the test was passing off by all these channels, 

 and especially by the skin, but the amount was not determined. 



7. The effect of Brandy on the work done. 



As the amount and kind of work done in the two exercise periods was 

 nearly the same, I requested the man to observe as closely as he could 

 whether he did the work better with or without the brandy. He com- 

 menced the exercise and brandy period with a belief that the brandy would 

 enable him to perform the work more easily, but ended it with the opposite 

 conviction. As already stated, the brandy was taken in 4-ounce doses at 

 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., in an equal quantity of water, and the work 

 was chiefly done in the two hours immediately succeeding each dose, and 

 from 6 to 8 a.m. 



The two hours' work from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, immediately after the 

 first four fluid ounces of brandy, was, he thought, done equally well with 

 and without the brandy. The man affirmed that he could tell no differ- 

 ence, except that, to use his own words, " the brandy seemed to give him 

 a kind of spirit which made him think he could do a great deal of work ; 

 but when he came to do it, he found he was less capable than he thought." 



After the second four ounces of brandy he felt hot and thirsty, but on 

 the two first days he thought he worked as well as on the water days ; on 

 the third day, however, he had palpitation of the heart, and was surprised 

 to find he was obliged to stop from time to time, because, to use his own 

 words, " of his breathing not being so good." 



The third four fluid ounces of brandy at 6 p.m. produced on all three 

 days very marked narcotic effects. Immediately after taking it he became 

 heavy, felt the greatest indisposition to exert himself, and could hardly re- 

 frain from throwing down his spade and giving up work. He worked with 

 no vigour, and on the second evening thought his muscular power decidedly 

 lessened. On the third evening, as it was raining, he could not dig, but 

 took walking and running exercise under cover. On attempting to run, 

 he found, to his great surprise, as he is a particularly fast and good runner, 

 that he could not do so. He'had palpitation and got out of breath, and was 

 obliged to stop ; so that he stated on the next day, " that if he had had his 

 accoutrements on and been ordered to ( double,' he could not have obeyed 

 the order." 



