Committee on Problems of Alcohol: A Report of Its Activities From 1949 to 1955, the Research Work It Has Supported and the Place of This Work in the Field of Alcoholism (1956)

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-li- lt should be cautioned that tests of the pharmacological activities of shed blood are full of hazard because slight differences in the way the tests are made mayjnake large differences in the results'obtained. Therefore, many members of tfce Committee on Prpblems of Alcohol believe that this work needs confirmation, before too much Weight should,be put upon the results. However, work of this foi^ on, 'the. brain. aid 'the autpnomic.iervbus system offers considerable bope^tbiai in the .future,the gaj> between the' personality,' .;. problems of the chronic alcoholic and the.! biochemical-physiological maladjust- ments related to his drinking may be narrowed and finally. closed. .••:••{••...-;•••* "' '" VV>' ?;•• • "••'O ;:•••..: •.,•.*.,,,'''/••• A grant has •recenjtljy' been awarded to. Dr. Leon Greenberg of toe .I&bpratprjr; of Applied Psychology ati Yale to stu<j'y 'tiie effec.t^, of, alcohol on conditioriecl ' behavior in rats..',,The use of/laiboratory" aiiimal3..ia a s:taJldat*aiaed' environ- , . , ment, (the' Skimier. Box). under sta^ardized training oond'ititJiis :will make pos- _ J l_^ —." i "- _'__ L'-.J— A. _ _* ^ _ V'''-' __' ir * ._ * _ _ _ * »•» * _ _•_ • •.*.._ .•_•«» A«I . _ _Jh4» J *_ . ..rj» "^. .*. • j\ _^ _.. -- A .'number ..of attempts havs>b:een made to ••or.eate "chronic alcoholism" in ' laboratory animals, in the hope, "that the^ means. ,by which' itf could be produced would throw ; light on the etici^pgy o£ the condition in inan. . .".'. ''.. '''•'•• ,• r.".f- •,c' •-•'•••' •-. '* •'••-••••""' W':;..: •:^-. . . The most commonly used technique in these studio's has been the multiple choice feeding method. In this the rat (or .other.1'aniinal).'; has access to a- =•...• numbei* of. bottles containing differing solutions',' ^^ which in the simplest ex— •..y • perim'ent would be two bottles, one containing an alcohol solution ^nd one : r;.. •('.••. filled with water. The consumption of: fluid f^-.ppj. these bottles can be "meas-y. .: ..'..' urecf' and .*compared at regular ^tiecval^. •;••••..: /.'.'.*..v,;i,.';;V;" ~ .:•.•.;.• ... In an attempt to investigate possible effeptB^'bf constitution and heredity in alcoholism, .,the spontaneous alcohol consumptions^ o'f'&r variety of types..pf .' animals have .been; studie<i by IDrs^ ^Williams, Ekerson'V and .Richteri. among others, the-: latter, two 'being aided by the 'Committee on .problems of Alcohol grants,:. ,•'. The rat may; jobnsume small amounts spontaneously, btittiever-, enough to produce int63d.da.•M.onf. .'However,' Dr. Em,erson of the University . of Texas Medical Branch in Galv.eston., has f6\ind that banisters, 'wood ratsj,' aild ;deer mice all drink sig- nificantly more, alcohol thap;.4o the conventipnal laboratory rats and mice.' v !.r Work aimed at studying the possible effects; of heredity on alcohol consumption in the hamster .has produced equiyoca'l results. The off spring of "heavy drink- ing" hamster parents seem to be, quite Variable in their 'aloohol consumption./ This has led Dr. Snerson to feel that 'if genetic factors; in alcohol intake. are present, they are very complex and obscure. "'"•' !''::'' ;••-•.,.. .. .'' •'"*' .:,.,•i ' : •'••*" Dr. R. J. Williams U?) of the University of Texas had received a small grant-in-aid from the RCPA which was still in eff eci at :the, inception of the National Research Council' committee. His .work has been based in general pn the thesis that alcoholism is a deficiency 6^.868,36 caused by .differing re- quirements for vitamins in different individuals, probably on a hereditary basis. In his past work with rats he has shown that vitamin deficiencies will