Alcohol and white rats

Abstract

This paper deals with the effect of alcohol fumes upon the size and number of litters produced by white rats and their descendants. Details of the administration of the alcohol have been published. 1 The treatment was given from the age of 28 days through the lives of the rats, with the exception of the females on the 28 days following the birth of a litter. After mild initial doses, each rat was left in the fume tank each day until it was completely anesthetized. Brothers and sisters of the treated males and females were used as controls. The matings were all between treated males and treated females or their descendants, and between the controls. Each group of test matings in each generation had its own control group raised at the same time and under the same conditions of environment. The data came from four main groups of rats: those treated, their treated children, their untreated children, and their untreated grand children from the untreated children.

Size of Litters.—The average size of all the litters produced by the treated rats was 10 per cent. less than the control average. Nine pairs of treated offspring from these treated rats gave litters that were 10.3 per cent. smaller than their control litters. Ten pairs of untreated rats from the treated parents gave litters that were 11.2 per cent. smaller than the controls. And eleven pairs of untreated rats from untreated parents and treated grandparents gave litters that were 13.3 per cent. smaller than their control litters. Ten pairs of untreated rats from the treated parents gave litters that were 11.2 per cent. smaller than the controls. And eleven pairs of untreated rats from untreated parents and treated grandparents gave litters that were 13.3 per cent.