TJic Effects of AlcoJiol, ly Dr. Wm. A. Hammond. 



47 



he labors on to the close of his task contentedly; 

 ana wiieu it is concluded he is more cheerful 

 arid less fatigued than ho has been before, when his 

 day's work was ended. He returns to his home, and on 

 weighiue himself finds that he has lost but half an ounce. 

 Be repeats his experiment the next day; like results 

 follow, and when he weighs himself he finds 

 that ho has lost nothing. The inference, there- 

 fore, is that the beverage he has imbibed 

 has retarded the destruction of his tissues, and 

 has itsdf aided in supplying the material for the devel- 

 opment of the force lie has expended in his labor. Now, 

 it may be supposed that this is altogether a fancy pic- 

 ture based only upon assumption, like too many others 

 which encumber science. In science, however, we be- 

 lieve nothing which is not demonstrated, and even then 

 we do so provisionally, with, the full understand- 

 ing that if to-morrow new facts are brought 

 forward which appear to be inconsistent with those upon 

 which a favorite theory rests, and which are of greater 

 weight, the hypothesis shall be abandoned without hesi- 

 tation. Let us see, therefore, what evidence we have 

 to support the view tbat alcohol retards the destruc- 

 tion of the tissues and supplies material for the genera- 

 tion of force. One of the products of tissue metamor- 

 phosis is eurbome acid. Many years ago Dr. Prout ascer- 

 tained that after tlio use of alcohol tne amount of car- 

 bonic acid excreted by the lungs was considerably re- 

 duced. Within the last few years other investign tors 

 have arrived at similar conclusions, alter extending 

 their inquiries to the other excretions of the system. 

 DR. HAMMOND EXPERIMENTS ON HIMSELF. 



Desirous of ascertaining the facts for myself, I insti- 

 tuted a series of experiments calculated to determine 

 the real value of alcohol as an aliment, or a substitute 

 for aliment. Perceiving tlie difficulties attendant on 

 guch investigations when conducted on other persons, I 

 performed thesa experiments on myself. Tney consisted 

 of three series: 



First: The influence of alcohol when the food was just 

 sufficient for the wants of the organism. 



Second : When it was not sufficient. 



Third: When it was mote than sufficient. 



Four drachms of alcohol diluted with an equal quan- 

 tity of water were taken at each meal. Not beiner an 

 habitual drinker of alcolfolic liquors in any form, the 

 experiments were not open to the objection that they 

 were performed upou a person hardened to tiie use of 

 intoxicating beverages. 



During the first series, when the food was of such a 

 character and quantity as to maintain tne weight of the 

 body at its normal standard, I found, as the result of ex- 

 periments continued for five days, during which time 60 

 drachms of alcohol had been taken, that the weight of 

 my body had increased 226.40 & to 226.85 ib, a difference 

 of .45 ft. In the same period the amount of carbonic acid 

 and aqueous vapor exhaled from the lungs, had under- 

 gone diminution, as had likewise the quantity of 

 other excretions. 



While these experiments lasted, my general health was 

 somewhat disturbed, my pulse was increased to an aver- 

 age of 90 per minute, and was fuller and stronger than 

 usual, and there was an indisposition t,o exertion of any 

 kind. There was also headache and a sensation of in- 

 creased heat of the skin. Later experiments, however, 

 snow that alcohol does not actually increase the heat of 

 the body; no that the sensation of heat present after its 

 use is one o; those abnormal manifestations of nerve 

 action met with In several other conditions of the 

 system. 



The inference to be drawn from these experiments 

 certainly is that whore the system is supplied with an 

 abundance of food, and where there are no special cir- 

 cumstances existing which render tin- use of alcohol 

 advisable, its employment a<* a liei'eragn is not to bo 

 commended. But there are two I'aet.s which cannot be 

 set aside, and these are that the body trained in weight 

 and that the excretions were diminished. These phe- 

 nomena were doubtless owing to the following cau a e. 

 First: The retardation of the deeay of the tissues. Sec- 

 ond: The diminution in (ho coMsnmpi ion of the fat of 

 the body. And Third : The increase in the assimilative 

 powers of the svstem by which the food was more com- 

 pletely appropriated and applied to the formation of 

 tissue. Tiie quasi morbid results which followed are just 

 such as would have ensued upon the use of ?>n excessive 

 amount of food or the omission of physical exercise 

 when the body has become habituated to its use. If I 

 had increased the amount of exercise taken there is no 

 doubt there would not have been the undue excitement 

 of the circulatory and nervous systems that was mani- 

 fested. 



The truth of these propositions is demonstrated by 

 the second series of investigations, during which the 

 food ingested was such as I had previously ascertained 

 involved an average decrease in the weight of the body of 

 .28 of a pound daily. Under the use of the alcohol not 

 only was this loss overcome, bat there was an average 

 increase of .03 of a pound daily. The effects upon ths 

 exertions were similar to those which ensued in the 

 course of the experiments of the first series. 



But, unlike the first series, no abnormal results were 

 produced in the general working of the organism. Di- 

 gestion was well performed, the mind was clear ana 

 active, and there was no excitement of the circulating 

 or nervous apparatus; in fact, all the organs of the 

 body appeared to act with energy and efficiency. It is 

 in similar cases, therefore, tnat the proper use of alco- 

 hol is to be commended; that is, when The quantity of 

 food is not such as to admit of the due performance of 

 such physical or mental labor as may be necessary, or 

 (wh;tt amounts to the same thine) when the digestion 

 or assimilative functions are not so efficiently per- 

 formed as to cause the digestion and appropriation of a 

 sufficient quantify of the food ingested to meet the re- 

 quirements of the system. 



In the third set of experiments, in which more food 

 was taken than was necessary, the ill effects of the alco- 

 hol were well marked. Headache was constantly pres- 

 ent, the sleep was disturbed, ttie pulse was increased la 

 frequency and force, and there was a general feeling of 

 malaise. I am sure that had the experiments of this 

 series been continued I should have been made serionsiy 

 ill. Notwithstanding all these abnormal phenomena, 

 the body continued to increase in weight above the ratio 

 which existed before the alcohol was taken, and the 

 excretions were diminished in quantity. After such re- 

 siilts are we not justified in regarding alcohol an food? 

 If it is not food, what is it ? We have seen that it takes 

 the place of food, and that the weight of the bod v in- 

 creases under its use. Any substance which produces 

 the effects wbich we have seen to attend on the use of 

 alcohol is essentially food, even though it is not demon- 

 strable at present that it undergoes conversion into tis- 

 sue. If alcohol is not entitled to this rank, many sub- 

 stances which are now universally placed in the cate- 

 gory of aliments must be degraded from their positions. 

 A COMPARISON BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND OHDIXAKY 



FOOD. 

 Alcohol retard." tht> ileotnirnon of UIP tissues By this 



