The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-12

sor Kraepelin. was subpenaed as chief
witness in this case. This ingenious
contrivance had attached TO il n fifth
second chronomcter- which automatic
ally registered time on rotating drum
covered with carbon paper. On the rec
ord obtained in this manner the time
required i'll writing a set of characters
can be computed with an error of less
than one -hundredth of second.
The unit of time in which the trials
were based was called 2eta, and cor.
responded TO One-hundredth OF n sec
ond.
"The daily exercises began at s a.
III, The subject 8 hand was connected
with the apparatus. and the figures /,
9, 3. 4. 5. 6, I, 8, 9, 10 were written
twice with pencil at top speed. Then
the sequence reversed-l0. 9, 3, Z, 6,
ctc.-was twice written; then the Ger
man letters INN, also twice. These
were repeated ten times. and the total
average time consumed by each man
was measured. Then he received his
allotment Of wine, as with the ergo
graph experiments.
fAftcr five minutes they resumed
their writing, carrying out their ap
pointed task IN scrlbbling as before
and proved that, while the spirit was
willing, the flesh, and It's controlling
nerve pulses, was weakened; for they
had. every man of them, measurably
slowed up. The degree of rctardatiou,
after writing ! to 10 under the influ.
ence of thc small amount of alcohol
administered (about what the ordinary
drinker would take with his dinner),
amounted TO . $40 per cent, In writ
ing 10 10 the retardation was greater,
amounting to Z per cent. This was ac-
counted for by the increasing complex
ity of the stunt, If being more novel
combination than the straight progrcs-
sion of numbers. With the 'inm the
apparent. Averaging I $40 per cent.
Again and again these same general
results were secured; though new crews
were used for each demonstration
"Simlar results followed in the 60.
ordination tests. where the subject was
required TO snap down telegraphic
switch at the unexpected flash OF
light or sound of a gong, the time
striking the gong and closing the switch
being measured by the 'zcts chrome
meter. In every case the rapidity of
the CO Ordinatlng responses was dc
creased from f to 8 $40 per cent.
Next, number Of accountants Of
all grades were selected, and their av.
erage ability TO add one-tigure columns
was estimated for one week. They were
equivalent of three and half cups OF
claret. a marked and progressive di.
minution IN their output was noticed,
beginning with ; lilo per cent the first
day. After two weeks of this steady,
moderate alcoholic allowance the per
centage increased to - 80.
Similar experiments were then
tried on typesetters These were re-
quired to set type from printed pages
nI ol,,tn
and the total number of ems q day was
computed for a week Then, with daily
gentlemanly drinks, they lost an aver
age of 6-10 per cent in efficiency by
the end of the week.
Perhaps the most convincing obser.
walton was concerned III tho free asso-
citation of ideas This, when the con
ditiou is raised to the fourth dimension,
causes the party Of the first part to for
the house in which he lives, and his
wife S first name, He is then in a
state for which the vulgar have va
riety of picturesque names. The scien-
fist calls il alcoholic inhibition and
he can usually define the gradients with
precision.
"IIowever, we are now considering
alcoholic inhibition IN ombryo
it grows up and develops, as it were
and the various methods employed in
its general characteristics
To Illustrate: if the name Of an OBJ
ject is spoken, Immediately one thinks
of something in connection with that
object. Professor Kraepelin s subjects
were requested to write these down,
enumerating as many associated objects
as occurred to them in the space of five
Two words were given ont
at each seance, five minutes being al
lotted to each subject. This was re-
peated at intervals during the day for
ten days. and the average number Of
things reckoned up, Then
each evening preceding the next ten
days a generous 'nightcap' was do
mated. and the results of the following
ten days association computed. A
loss in co-ordinating power in this
series amounted to as high as 81 per
cent
This, Dr. Bowers thinks. was a re-
convincing demonstration,
and proves conclusively that one who
drinks much is living only small part
Of his normal life, 1t and DR.. Kraepe-
lin s other tests tend to show that the
alleged "stimulant' powers Of alcohol
are a delusion pure and simple.
are delusion pure and simple.-Lit
u