118 



BULLETIN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. 



on the cardiac nerve mechanism. Destroy or paralyze the inhibitory 

 nerve-center, or arrest its power of communicating with the heart by 

 dividing the vagus, and instantly its controlling effect on the cardio- 

 motor mechanism is lost, and the accelerating agent, being no longer 

 under its normal restraint, runs riot. The heart's action is increased, 

 the pulse is quickened, an excess of blood is forced into the vessels, 

 and from their becoming engorged and dilated the face gets flushed 

 and the retina congested — all the usual concomitants of a general 

 engorgement of the circulation being the result. 



"The relative effects of alcohol and opium were found to be as fol- 

 lows: 



In 100 parts of air. 



Composition of employed air 



With pure ox-blood 



With pure ox-blood 5 per cent, of alcohol 



With pure calf's blood 



With pure calf's blood .005 grm. of mor- 

 phia 



Vol. at 

 O. C. at 1 



metre 

 pressure. 



30.96 

 14.91 

 18.97 

 10.11 



18.17 



Dr. Gaute, 1 of the University of Zurich, has advanced a 

 somewhat similar opinion of the influence of alcohol in consid- 

 ering its relation to happiness; and his views are eminently 

 suggestive to the student who fancies that an efficient way to 

 meet difficulties is to forget them or imagine them out of exis- 

 tence or of less consequence and importance than they really 

 are, by maiming those powers of the mind that give an accurate 

 description of situations as they actually exist. 



"* 



* So the influence of alcohol is exactly as if the brain were 

 cut away. The man no longer stops to consider the whole situation, 

 to make use of impressions of former experiences stored away in the 

 brain, or weigh present obligations. How does it increase the feel- 

 ing of happiness? The body uses its powers in resisting the outside 

 forces which act upon it. Normally, there is a balance between body 

 and environment. If environment prevails we are discouraged; and 

 if we are able to prevail, our spirits rise and our happiness grows. 

 And it is not for the moment only, but we compare the accumulated 

 impressions of the powers outside of us with the powers which our 

 brains develop, and are happy or unhappy according as we feel our 

 superiority or otherwise. Just how much does alcohol interfere in 

 this balance of powers? It clearly cannot lessen the power of outside 



3 Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 46, pp. 30-31. 



