The influence of alcoholism on the offspring

Two years ago I showed that almost all known gross deformities of the brain could be produced by treating developing fish embryos with alcohol and a number of anæsthetics.

Since that time these experiments have been extended to birds and mammals. The work of Feré with hen's eggs has been repeated and his results confirmed. When these eggs are subjected to the fumes of alcohol the shell is penetrated and the developing embryo is affected. The rate of development is reduced and a large number of monstrosities occur.

Guinea pigs have been put into a state of chronic alcoholism by treating them for six days per week with alcohol fumes to almost the point of intoxication. Forty full-term matings of various combinations have been made with these alcoholic animals. Treated males have been paired with normal females (test of paternal influence on offspring), treated females paired with normal males (maternal influence plus the direct effect on the developing embryo) and finally treated males and females were paired. The outcome of these matings has been most striking.

Twenty-five matings gave no result or the embryos were aborted early and eaten by the mother. Fifteen matings produced in all 25 young, of these two have lived to reach maturity and are apparently normal, four are still young but seem normal. Of the other 19, eight were stillborn or aborted shortly before term, seven lived for a few days after birth and all died in convulsions, four were in utero when the mothers were killed and one of these was deformed.

All of the control matings were successful, all of the young lived and were vigorous.