The effect of a large dose of atropine upon the performance of routine tasks.

1. A field trial was conducted in order to assess the effect upon tasks, including hard labour, skilled work, the use of instruments and tools and shooting, of giving 6 mg of atropine sulphate by injection to twenty-three adult male volunteers.2. Impairment of performance was seen in these tasks under the influence of the drug, but this was statistically significant only in some of them.3. Drowsiness occurred in twenty-one men and perceptual disorders were common, but two men were almost completely resistant to the effects of the drug.4. The implications of the therapeutic use of comparable doses of atropine are discussed.