Thus a skilled workman will continue his mechanical work perfectly, while his mind is bent on some other subject; and thus we all perform various acts in a purely automatic way, without calling in the aid of the higher centres, except something more than ordinary occurs to demand their service, upon which we think before we perform.
Under alcohol, as the spinal centres become influenced, these pure automatic acts cease to be correctly carried on.

That the hand may reach any object, or the foot be correctly planted, the higher intellectual centre must be invoked to make the proceeding secure.

There follows quickly upon this a deficient power of co-ordination of muscular movement.

The nervous control of certain of the muscles is lost, and the nervous stimulus is more or less enfeebled.

The muscles of the lower lip in the human subject usually fail first of all, then the muscles of the lower limbs, and it is worthy of remark that the extensor muscles give way earlier than the flexors.