New-York tribune., 1919-10-10
Students Full
OF 2.75Ren1ain
Sober i'm Tests
Experiment Made by Column
bia Professors for Use
in Court: Effect of Beer
Called Almost Negligible

The story Of how two Columbia pro-
fessors, using the laboratories of the
university. tested the effect of 275 per
cent beer in studying the result to be
used as evidence in q suit to force the
government to lesalize the manufacture
and sale Of such beer, came to light
yesterday. after having been kept secret
for more than three months. The ef
feet OF the beer on the students was
said to have been almost negligible.
The tests, in which six students of
the law school were used, were held in
the early part Of June under the super
vision of Professors II. l.. Hollingworth
and r. S. Woodwork. both of the de-
paItment OF psychology. corps of
assistants, mon and women, helped in
conducting the elaborate tests that had
been devised. The experiments were
designed to show whether 2.75 beer,
drunk to the limit Of q mans capacity,
would make him intoxicated Or would
affect in any degree his steadincss, his
ability to coordinate. or his power to
think rapidly and clearly.
The results of the tests, Professor
Hollingvorth admitted yesterday, will
be used in & suit, but nc declined to
give any further information.
May BE Used in HofTmann Case
According to report circulated at
= 10 vat 4i,,
Jacob Hotfmann Brewing Company to
obtain an injunction restraining the
United States attorney from interfer
ins with the manufacture Of 2.75 beer.
In this cease plaintiffs counsel are
Elihu Root and William D. Guthrie. This
casa is now pending, IL was said. fol
lowing the granting OF an injunction
by Federal Judge Hand against the
government.
The evidence resulting from the
tests at Columbia will be used, it is
the United States District Court.
The tests ut Columbia were held
shortly after thc close Of school. They
bc.An in the home Of Professor
Holingworth. q. Az West 18th Street,
and were transferred TO the pgychologi-
cal laboratories in Schcrmerhorn Hall.
The experiments lasted for twelve
days. The same procedure was fol-
lowed each day In the morning the
students drank as much water as they
/ could hold, and then were tested to
/ learn their normal stcadness and
/ quickness Of mind
40 Much as They Could Drink
In the afternoon, without having
eaten anything, they were given as
much beer az they could drink. The
same tests were then given as in the
morning.
each designed to determine some par
ticular effect of the beer. The frs,
vas a color test, in which six or eight
primary colOrs were arranged in horl-
zontal rows, about twenty deep. The
men were required to scan these rap
idly and name the color Of each block
hose being intcrchangcd in bewil
dcring manner. Then came what was
called an anonym test, which tried the
mems ability to name q word cxactl.
opposite in meaning to a word read tt
them. An additional test consisted o
calling out number to the persO,
being tested, who Immediately was t
answer with the number that wa
seventeen greater
Stcadincss was determined by thrc
elaborate tests The first was called
|. ! tapping test, In Whlch AL eicct' ''eu Io
was tapped against metal sheet con
.. nected electrically with "A arecording dia
which showed the speed and stcadincs
% the tapping.
Coordination, or the proper "orkin
. together Of mind and muscles, vas de
, termined AS follows: The person 10 .
scatcd VAS compelled TO touch IN rap'
and varying succession the points q
metal triangle, going around ~ hrF
! in one spccifed direction ana thcn
another A substitution test consiste
Of "A printed sheet Of five geometr'ci
designs, each Of which had been gave
Il symbol or number. The studen'
were made TO 20 through the cntir
list rapidly and mark each figure wi'
A the correct symbol
. The last tort whe on" that 's con
@ mon in psychological experiments. IN
e students were shown list OF word
Z IN iwo columns. and after an intcrv'
we're given one of the words and ask'
10 name the word in the oppositc co