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Supply and demand may be the most common words in economics, but applying these
concepts to the real world requires a bit of elaboration. Elasticity is the first of several concepts
we will study that will help you to apply the concepts of supply and demand to business and
policy questions. In this chapter we saw how elasticity can be used to predict how price
changes will influence revenue. In the coming chapters we will use elasticity to predict the
effects of government intervention in the market, and we will dig deeper into the consumer
and producer choices that drive elasticity.
Learning Objectives
4-1
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
LO 4.6: Calculate income elasticity of demand, and interpret the sign of the elasticity.
Chapter Outline
4-2
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Have students listen to this EconTalk podcast by Russell Roberts featuring Richard McKenzie on
prices.
1. Why do prices fall after a major gift-giving season?
2. Why does popcorn at the movie theatre generally seem to be so expensive?
Clicker Questions
There are three main purposes to clicker questions. First, they are a great way to do a quick
and instant “on demand” test of student understanding of the material. You can cover
material, and instantly get feedback on student comprehension. You can see whether you need
to explain certain topics again, or move on to the next subject. Second, they are a great
method to break up the class and take a moment away from lecture. It gets the students
actively involved. Finally, certain clicker questions can be framed in a “discussion” manner, in
which you can invite students to talk about the possible right answer with their peers. You can
instruct students to convince their classmate of a right or wrong answer.
1. Which of the following will likely have the most elastic demand? [LO 4.2]
A. a specific brand of cereal
B. gasoline
C. drugs needed to cure a serious illness
D. electricity
Feedback: A specific brand of cereal will likely have many substitutes. The closeness and
availability of substitutes plays a large role in the determination of elasticity. More substitutes
will mean that a good is more elastic.
2. Which is the most likely to have a perfectly inelastic demand? [LO 4.2]
A. Your favorite fast food burrito that you like to eat once a week
B. Gasoline
C. College tuition
D. Life-saving surgery
Feedback: Gas may not have a lot of substitutes in the short run, but if prices get very high, we
will still choose to drive less when we can. If we need a life-saving surgery, we’ll get it no
matter the price.
3. Why do we use the midpoint method in calculating demand elasticity instead of just a simple
percent change formula? [LO 4.1]
A. Complicated math equations are generally more accurate
B. To avoid elasticity estimate changes due to a change in which direction we move along the
demand curve
C. To make sure our elasticity answer is always a larger value
D. To make our demand elasticity value turn into a positive number
4-3
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Feedback: Using a percent change can cause a “directionality” issue in which switching your
new and old measurement point can change your answer, even though you’re using the same
two points. The midpoint method eliminates this problem.
4. The sign (positive or negative) of a cross-price elasticity value can tell us [LO 4.5]
A. if a good is normal or inferior
B. if two goods are complements or substitutes
C. if a good is seasonal or purchased year-round
D. if a good has a downward sloping demand
5. Suppose milk has an income elasticity that is positive, but less than 1. What does this mean?
[LO 4.6]
A. Milk is an inferior good
B. Milk is a necessity
C. Milk is a luxury
D. Milk is a scarce good
Feedback: Remind your students that in this case, “necessity” doesn’t mean something we
“need”. It’s just a category label based on numerical results of income elasticity. You can tell
them to think about their income tripling. They may buy a little more milk each week, but
certainly not 3 times as much.
Review Questions
1. You are advising a coffee shop manager who wants to estimate how much sales will change
if the price of a latte rises. You tell him that he should measure the change in sales using the
percentage change in quantity of coffee sold rather than the number of cups of coffee or the total
ounces of coffee sold. Similarly, you tell him that he should measure the price increase in
percentage terms rather than in terms of absolute dollars. Explain why he should measure
elasticity in percentage terms rather than in terms of dollars and cups. [LO 4.1]
Answer: If the coffee shop manager measures elasticity in percentage changes, he will have
an understanding of the price sensitivity of demand for lattes that will be consistent
regardless of the units of measure. By using percentage changes to calculate elasticity, he
will have the same sense of price sensitivity regardless of whether lattes are measured in
cups, gallons, or ounces and whether price is measured in dollars or cents.
2. Explain why the coffee shop manager should calculate elasticity using the mid-point
method. [LO 4.1]
4-4
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Answer: Using the mid-point method to calculate elasticity is useful because the coffee shop
manager will have a single measure of the price sensitivity of demand over a particular range
of prices regardless of the direction price is moving. For example, he would know how
sensitive demand is to a price change between $3 and $5 regardless of whether price
increases from $3 to $5 or decreases from $5 to $3. Because the mid-point method considers
the average of these prices ($4) as the base, he will have the same elasticity measure over that
price range, whichever direction price moves.
3. You are working as a private math tutor to raise money for a trip during spring break. First
explain why the price elasticity of demand for math tutoring might be elastic. Then explain why
the price elasticity of demand for math tutoring might be inelastic. [LO 4.2]
Answer: This would depend on the availability of other tutors who might charge prices
lower than you and how desperate your students are for tutoring. If your students can easily
switch to another tutor and/or think of tutoring as a luxury they can do without if prices rise,
the price elasticity of demand would be elastic. If there are no other tutors your students can
turn to or if they feel they cannot possibly pass their course without tutoring, the price
elasticity of demand could be inelastic.
4. You are working as a private math tutor to raise money for a trip during spring break. You
want to raise as much money as possible. Should you should increase or decrease the price you
charge? Explain. [LO 4.2]
Answer: Whether you should raise or lower your prices depends on the price elasticity of
demand. If demand is elastic, you will increase your revenue by lowering prices. With
elastic demand, lower prices mean that people will hire enough additional tutoring hours
from you to offset the lower price. If demand is inelastic, you will raise prices by increasing
prices. With inelastic demand, people will reduce tutoring hours a bit when you raise prices,
but not enough to offset your gain from charging more.
5. You have been hired by the government of Kenya, which produces a lot of coffee, to
examine the supply of gourmet coffee beans. Suppose you discover that the price elasticity of
supply is 0.85. Explain this figure to the Kenyan government. [LO 4.3]
Answer: A price elasticity of supply of .85 would mean that supply of gourmet coffee beans
is inelastic, or not very responsive to prices. For example, if the price of gourmet coffee
beans rose by 5%, the supply of gourmet coffee beans would increase by less than 5% in the
short run. This could be because it takes a long time to increase supply and/or there may
be other constraints like limitations on land. You could advise the Kenyan government to
explore the factors that make supply less responsive to price changes.
6. You have noticed that the price of tickets to your university’s basketball games keeps
increasing but the supply of tickets remains the same. Why might supply be unresponsive to
changes in price? [LO 4.3]
4-5
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Answer: It may not be possible to increase the supply of tickets. The number of tickets is
likely fixed in the short run. There are usually a specific number of seats in a sports arena
that won’t change as prices fluctuate. In this case, supply is perfectly inelastic and the same
number of seats will be supplied, even as prices rise. In a longer term, your university could
build a bigger arena.
7. Which will have a more price-elastic supply over six months: real estate in downtown
Manhattan or real estate in rural Oklahoma? Explain your reasoning. [LO 4.4]
Answer: Real estate in rural Oklahoma will be more price-elastic in the short run than real
estate in Manhattan. Land is scarce in Manhattan, making it difficult to increase real estate.
Higher buildings can often replace smaller ones, but this takes more time. Land is more
easily available for development in rural Oklahoma, making this area better able to respond
quickly to changes in the price of real estate.
8. Certain skilled labor, such as hair cutting, requires licensing or certification, which is costly
and takes a long time to acquire. Explain what would happen to the price elasticity of supply for
haircuts if this licensing requirement were removed. [LO 4.4]
Answer: The price elasticity of supply would increase (become more elastic). If the
requirement for licensing were removed, a hair salon could expand its staff more easily in
response to increasing prices because they would not be limited to only hiring licensed
haircutters.
9. Although we could describe both the cross-price elasticity of demand between paper coffee
cups and plastic coffee lids and the cross-price elasticity of demand between sugar and artificial
sweeteners as highly elastic, the first cross-price elasticity is negative and the second is positive.
What is the reason for this? [LO 4.5]
Answer: Goods that are strong complements like coffee cups and coffee lids will have a
more elastic cross-price elasticity. Likewise, goods that are strong substitutes like sugar and
artificial sweeteners will also have a more elastic cross-price elasticity. In both cases the
goods are closely related so quantity demanded of one good (such as coffee cups) will be
more responsive to changes in the price of the other good (coffee lids) than if the two goods
were less related. However, complements and substitutes will have different signs. For
complements, like coffee cups and coffee lids, the sign will be negative. When the price of
coffee lids increases, we buy fewer coffee cups. With substitutes, the sign is positive. As the
price of artificial sweeteners increases, quantity demanded of sugar will also increase.
10. Name two related goods you consume that would have a positive cross-price elasticity. What
happens to your consumption of the second good if the price of the first good increases?
[LO 4.5]
Answer: When I am craving something sweet, I like cookies and donuts. These treats are
substitutes for me. If the price of cookies at my local bakery increases, I will choose donuts.
4-6
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
11. Name two related goods you consume which would have a negative cross-price elasticity.
What happens to your consumption of the second good if the price of the first good increases?
[LO 4.5]
Answer: One of my favorite snacks is chips and guacamole. These goods are complements
for me because I consume them together. They have a negative cross-price elasticity for me.
If the price of chips increases, I purchase less guacamole.
12. In France, where cheese is an important and traditional part of people’s meals, people eat
about six times as much cheese per person as in the United States. In which country do you think
the demand for cheese will be more income-elastic? Why? [LO 4.6]
Answer: Demand for cheese will be more income-elastic in the United States. While people
in the United States also enjoy cheese, it is not as culturally important as it is in France.
People in France already prioritize cheese and eat a lot of cheese. If incomes rise, they are
unlikely to significantly increase how much cheese they consume. Conversely, if incomes
fall, they will try to avoid significantly deceasing consumption of cheese. They may choose
to make other sacrifices before they reduce cheese consumption.
13. Name a good you consume for which your income elasticity of demand is positive. What
happens when your income increases? [LO 4.6]
Answer: Most goods are normal and behave this way. I love dining out at nice restaurants
with my friends and family, but eating out at nice restaurants is expensive. When my income
increases, I tend to increase the number of meals I eat at nice restaurants. For me, a meal at
nice restaurants is a normal good and my income elasticity of demand is positive.
14. Name a good you consume for which your income elasticity of demand is negative. What
happens when your income increases? [LO 4.6]
Answer: I have always loved to travel. When I was a student, I would stay at youth hostels
because they are much less expensive than hotels. I worked part-time as a student and
couldn’t afford the luxury of hotels. These days, I earn more than I did as a student, so I tend
to stay in hotels. For me, hostels are an inferior good and my income elasticity of demand is
negative. When my income increased, my demand for hostel stays decreased.
1. When the price of a bar of chocolate is $1.00, the quantity demanded is 100,000 bars.
When the price rises to $1.50, the quantity demanded falls to 60,000 bars. Calculate the price
elasticity of demand using the mid-point method. [LO 4.1]
a. Suppose price increases from $1 to $1.50. Calculate the price elasticity of demand.
b. Suppose price decreases from $1.50 to $1. Calculate the price elasticity of demand.
4-7
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Answer:
a. [(60,000 − 100,000)/80,000]/[(1.50 − 1.00)/1.25] = -1.25.
b. [(100,000 − 60,000)/80,000]/[(1.00 − 1.50)/1.25] = -1.25. Using this method, the price
elasticity of demand calculation is the same whether price increases or decreases.
2. If the price elasticity of demand for used cars priced between $3,000 and $5,000 is –1.2
(using the mid-point method), what will be the percent change in quantity demanded when the
price of a used car falls from $5,000 to $3,000? [LO 4.1]
Answer:
−1.2 = % change in Qd/[(3,000 − 5,000)/4,000]
−1.2 = % change in Qd/−0.5
(−0.5) × (−1.2) = % change in Qd
−0.6 × 100 = % change in Qd
60 percent = % change in Qd
4-8
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
3. Three points are identified on the graph in Figure 4P-1. [LO 4.2]
a. At point A, demand is ____.
b. At point B, demand is ____.
c. At point C, demand is ____.
Answer: For any linear demand curve, the mid-point represents demand being unit-elastic.
At any point on the upper-portion of the curve, demand is price elastic. At any point on the
lower-portion of the curve, demand is price inelastic.
a. Elastic.
b. Unit-elastic.
c. Inelastic.
4. Which of the following has a more elastic demand in the short run? [LO 4.2]
a. Pomegranate juice or drinking water?
b. Cereal or Rice Krispies®?
c. Speedboats or gourmet chocolate?
Answer:
a. Pomegranate juice. Demand for pomegranate juice would be much more elastic than
demand for drinking water (a necessity).
b. Rice Krispies. There are more substitutes for a particular type of cereal like Rice Krispies
than there are for cereal itself.
c. Speedboats. Even though both goods could be considered luxuries, a speedboat is a much
higher portion of a household budget than chocolate. Therefore, demand for speedboats will
be more sensitive to price changes.
5. In each of the following instances, determine whether demand is elastic, inelastic, or unit-
elastic. [LO 4.2]
a. If price increases by 10 percent and quantity demanded decreases by 15 percent, demand is
_______.
b. If price decreases by 10 percent and quantity demanded increases by 5 percent, demand is
_______.
Answer:
a. Elastic.
b. Inelastic.
6. In each of the following instances, determine whether quantity demanded will increase or
decrease, and by how much. [LO 4.2]
a. If price elasticity of demand is -1.3 and price increases by 2 percent, quantity demanded will
______ by ______ percent.
b. If price elasticity of demand is -0.3 and price decreases by 2 percent, quantity demanded will
______ by ______ percent.
Answer:
a. Quantity demanded will decrease by > 2 percent.
4-9
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
Problems 7 and 8 refer to the demand schedule shown in Table 4P-1. For each price change,
say whether demand is elastic, unit-elastic, or inelastic, and say whether total revenue
increases, decreases, or stays the same.
Answer:
a. Demand is inelastic: [(300 – 350)/325]/[(20-10)/15] =-0.15/0.67= -0.22. Because elasticity
is less than 1 in absolute value, demand is inelastic. Because demand is inelastic, total
revenue will increase after a price increase. Total revenue increases from ($10 × 350 =
$3,500) to ($20 × 300 = $6,000).
b. Demand is inelastic: [(200 – 250)/225]/[(40-30)/35] =-0.22/0.29= -0.76. Because elasticity
is less than 1 in absolute value, demand is inelastic. Because demand is inelastic, total
revenue will increase after a price increase. Total revenue increases from ($30 × 250 =
$7,500) to ($40 × 200 = $8,000).
c. Demand is elastic: : [(100 – 150)/125]/[(60-50)/55] =-0.40/0.18= -2.22. Because elasticity
is greater than 1 in absolute value, demand is elastic. Because demand is elastic, total revenue
will decrease after a price increase. Total revenue decreases from ($50 × 150 = $7,500) to
($60 × 100 = $6,000).
8. Price decreases from $70 to $60. Demand is ______ and total revenue ______. [LO 4.2]
9. Draw the price effect and the quantity effect for a price change from $60 to $50. Which
effect is larger? Does total revenue increase or decrease? No calculation is necessary. [LO 4.2]
4-10
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
10. Draw the price effect and the quantity effect for a price change from $30 to $20. Which
effect is larger? Does total revenue increase or decrease? No calculation is necessary. [LO 4.2]
4-11
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
11. Draw the price effect and the quantity effect for a price change from $60 to $70. Which
effect is larger? Does total revenue increase or decrease? No calculation is necessary. [LO 4.2]
12. Draw the price effect and the quantity effect for a price change from $10 to $20. Which
effect is larger? Does total revenue increase or decrease? No calculation is necessary. [LO 4.2]
4-12
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
13. Use the graph in Figure 4P-3 to calculate the price elasticity of supply between points A and
B using the mid-point method. [LO 4.3]
Answer: The price elasticity of supply between points A and B is [(10 − 8)/9]/[(15 − 12)/13.5]
= 1.00.
14. If the price of a haircut is $15, the number of haircuts provided is 100. If the price rises to
$30 per haircut, barbers will work much longer hours, and the supply of haircuts will increase to
300. What is the price elasticity of supply for haircuts between $15 and $30? [LO 4.3]
Answer: The price elasticity of supply for haircuts between $15 and $20 using the mid-point
method is [(300 − 100)/200]/[(30 − 15)/22.5] = 1.49.
15. Which of the following has a more elastic supply in the short run? [LO 4.4]
a. Hospitals or mobile clinics?
b. Purebred dogs or mixed-breed dogs?
c. On-campus courses or online courses?
Answer:
a. Mobile clinics. The supply of mobile clinics can be modified much more easily than the
supply of hospitals. Mobile clinics require much less in the way of inputs and infrastructure.
b. Mixed-breed dogs. Increasing the quantity of purebred dogs requires other purebred
dogs. Mixed-breed dogs do not require a specific breed so it is much easier to increase their
quantity.
c. Online courses. Courses online are easier to expand because they have fewer constraints
on the availability of classroom space and may also have fewer constraints on instructor
availability.
16. In each of the following instances, determine whether supply is elastic, inelastic, or unit‐
elastic. [LO 4.4]
a. If price increases by 10 percent and quantity supplied increases by 15 percent, supply is
______.
b. If price decreases by 10 percent and quantity supplied decreases by 5 percent, supply is
______.
Answer:
a. Elastic.
b. Inelastic.
4-13
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Education.
Chapter 04 - Elasticity
17. In each of the following instances, determine whether quantity supplied will increase or
decrease, and by how much. [LO 4.4]
a. If price elasticity of supply is 1.3 and price increases by 2 percent, quantity supplied will
_____ by _____ percent.
b. If price elasticity of supply is 0.3 and price decreases by 2 percent, quantity supplied will
_____ by _____ percent.
Answer:
a. Quantity supplied will increase by > 2%.
b. Quantity supplied will decrease by < 2%.
18. Suppose that the price of peanut butter rises from $2 to $3 per jar. [LO 4.5]
a. The quantity of jelly purchased falls from 20 million jars to 15 million jars. What is the cross-
price elasticity of demand between peanut butter and jelly? Are they complements or
substitutes?
b. The quantity of jelly purchased increases from 15 million jars to 20 million jars. What is the
cross-price elasticity of demand between peanut butter and jelly? Are they complements or
substitutes?
Answer:
a. The cross-price elasticity of demand between peanut butter and jelly using the mid-
point method is [(15 million – 20 million)/17.5 million]/[(3 − 2)/2.5] = −0.71. Peanut butter
and jelly are complements.
b. The cross-price elasticity of demand between peanut butter and jelly using the mid-
point method is [(20 million – 15 million)/17.5 million]/[(3 − 2)/2.5] = 0.71. Peanut butter
and jelly are substitutes.
19. For each of the following pairs, predict whether the cross-price elasticity of demand will be
positive or negative: [LO 4.5]
a. Soap and hand sanitizer.
b. CDs and MP3s.
c. Sheets and pillowcases.
Answer:
a. Positive. Soap and hand sanitizer are substitutes. If the price of soap increases, the
demand for hand sanitizer will increase. If the price of soap decreases, the demand for
hand sanitizer will decrease.
b. Positive. CDs and MP3s are substitutes. If the price of CDs increases, the demand for
MP3s will increase. If the price of CDs decreases, the demand for MP3s will decrease.
c. Negative. Sheets and pillowcases are complements. If the price of sheets increases, the
demand for pillowcases will decrease. If the price of sheets decreases, the demand for
pillowcases will increase.
4-14
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Chapter 04 - Elasticity
20. Suppose that when the average family income rises from $30,000 per year to $40,000 per
year, the average family’s purchases of toilet paper rise from 100 rolls to 105 rolls per year. [LO
4.6]
a. Calculate the income-elasticity of demand for toilet paper.
b. Is toilet paper a normal or an inferior good?
c. Is the demand for toilet paper income-elastic or income-inelastic?
Answer:
a. The income-elasticity of demand is [(105 − 100)/102.5]/[(40,000 − 30,000)/35,000] =
0.17.
b. Toilet paper is a normal good because the income elasticity is positive.
c. Toilet paper is an income-inelastic good because the income elasticity is greater than
zero but less than one.
21. In each of the following instances, determine whether the good is normal or inferior, and
whether it is income‐elastic or income‐inelastic. [LO 4.6]
a. If income increases by 10 percent and the quantity demanded of a good increases by
5 percent, the good is ______ and ______.
b. If income increases by 10 percent and the quantity demanded of a good decreases by
20 percent, the good is ______ and ______.
Answer:
a. If income increases by 10% and the quantity demanded of a good increases by 5%, the
good is normal (income elasticity is positive) and income-inelastic (income elasticity of 5/10
is less than one).
b. If income increases by 10% and the quantity demanded of a good decreases by 20%, the
good is inferior (income elasticity is negative) and income-elastic (income elasticity of 20/10
is greater than one).
4-15
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circulation feeble, the respiration shallow and occasionally
interrupted by long-drawn sighs, the pupils are as a rule contracted,
constipation is present, often alternating with diarrhœa. When to
these conditions, for which no cause can be found upon careful
examination, there are added marked change in disposition, periods
of unaccountable dulness and apathy alternating with unusual
vivacity and brightness, especially when insomnia alternates with
periods of prolonged and heavy sleep, the abuse of morphia may be
suspected. If the hypodermic syringe be used the wounds made by
the needle confirm the diagnosis. These punctures are usually found
in groups upon the thighs, legs, arms, and abdomen. Close inquiry
into the habits of the patient, who either goes himself or sends at
short intervals for unusual quantities of opium or morphia to some
neighboring apothecary, is sometimes necessary to confirm the
diagnosis. Finally, the presence of morphine in the urine10 renders
the diagnosis positive, notwithstanding the most vehement
assertions of the patient as regards his innocence of the habit and
the extreme cunning with which it is concealed.
10 “According to Bouchardat, morphine, when taken in the free state or under the form
of opium, speedily appears in the urine, and may be detected by the liquid yielding a
reddish-brown precipitate with a solution of iodine in iodide of potassium. Since,
however, as we have already seen, this reagent also produces similar precipitates
with most of the other alkalies and with certain other organic substances, this reaction
in itself could by no means be regarded as direct proof of the presence of the alkaloid.
Moreover, we find that the reagent not unfrequently throws down a precipitate from
what may be regarded as normal urine, while, on the other hand, it sometimes fails to
produce a precipitate even when comparatively large quantities of the alkaloid have
been purposely added to the liquid” (Wormley, Micro-chemistry of Poisons).
The presence of meconic acid or morphine in the urine can only be positively
determined by elaborate chemical analysis. In cases of doubt the urine should be
submitted to a competent analyst. To make sure that opium or its derivatives are not
being taken, the feces must also be examined.
Chloral Hydrate.
The dose taken by victims of the chloral habit varies greatly. Thirty or
forty grains daily is a moderate amount. Not rarely this quantity is
repeated twice or oftener within the space of twenty-four hours. The
tolerance after a time exhibited by the organism for enormous doses
of alcohol and opium is not established, as a rule, in regard to
chloral. The victim of the latter after a little time discovers the
average dose required to produce narcotic effects, and, while he
may vary it within limits, he is liable to acute toxic effects if it be
greatly exceeded. Death from such excesses is not uncommon.
It has been claimed upon evidence that does not appear to the writer
adequate that chloral sometimes acts upon the sexual system as an
aphrodisiac, sometimes as the reverse. More or less complete
impairment of sexual power and appetite is the rule in individuals
addicted to great excesses in narcotics of all kinds. Menstruation is
not arrested by chloral as by morphine, nor does it necessarily cause
sterility in the female.
Paraldehyde.
Cocaine, within the short time that has elapsed since its introduction
into therapeutics, has unquestionably been largely abused, both
within the ranks of the profession and among the people. Highly
sensational accounts of the disastrous effects resulting from its
habitual use in excessive doses have appeared in the newspapers
and in certain of the medical journals. No case of this kind has fallen
under the observation of the writer, and it would appear premature to
formulate definite conclusions concerning the effects of cocaine
upon the data thus far available.
Treatment.