EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON EFFICIENCY 139 
what is meant by * moderation.” It is impossible to 
draw hard-and-fast lines, because different individuals 
vary so enormously in their susceptibility, and what is 
moderation for one man is excess for another. Again, 
what is moderation for a man under one set of condi- 
tions may prove immoderate under other conditions, 
for susceptibility is greatly affected by the amount of 
food in the stomach, the degree of fatigue previously 
undergone, and other variations in bodily state. How- 
ever, it is convenient to fix an exact standard, against 
which the quantities of alcohol used in experimental 
investigations can be compared. The standard em- 
ployed by many investigators is 30 cubic centimetres 
of ethyl alcohol, suitably diluted, or its equivalent in 
the form of alcoholic liquor, so this will be adopted as 
the ‘‘ moderate quantity ”’ in question. It is roughly 
equivalent to one fluid ounce (28:35 c.c.), and it is 
the amount of alcohol present in a pint of fairly heavy 
beer, for an analysis of light Burton ale and of Bass 
showed them to contain in both instances 5:4 per cent. 
of alcohol by volume, or 306 c.c. per pint. If a mild 
ale, containing, for instance, 3°4 per cent. of alcohol, 
is taken, the requisite ‘ moderate” quantity comes 
to just over 1} pints. If the alcohol is taken in the 
form of whisky, 2% ounces of the usual present-day 
strength (30° under proof), or just over % gill, 
would be required. If it is taken in the form of 
claret (containing 10 per cent. of alcohol), 3 pint 
would be needed, and if in the form of port (con- 
taining 20 per cent. of alcohol), } pint, or a glass 
and a half.