390 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY 



size of the air cells in the lungs and leaves less room for the air 

 which the lungs need, so that less oxygen is supplied to the blood. 

 When the capillaries are often or continuously distended in this 

 way, their walls are likely to become permanently thickened, 

 and the interchange of gases which normally takes place there, 

 by which carbon dioxide passes from the blood while the purify- 

 ing oxygen is taken into the blood, is impeded. Serious disease 

 even may result, such as a peculiar and quickly fatal form of con- 

 sumption found only among drinkers of alcohohc fluids. 



" The throat, bronchial tubes, and lungs of a tobacco smoker 

 are all hable to irritation by the poisonous smoke, and chronic in- 

 flammation is often caused. The nicotine of tobacco is a deadly 

 poison, and in cigarettes there are often other poisons equally 

 dangerous to health." — Macy, Physiology. 



" Dr. Legendre, a Paris physician, has recently pubUshed, for 

 public distribution, a leaflet in which he says: 'Alcohol is a fre- 

 quent cause of consumption by its power of weakening the lungs. 

 Every year we see patients who attend the hospital for alcoholism 

 come back after a period to be treated for consumption.' '' — Lon- 

 don Lancet. 



'' An American medical writer (Journal of American Medical 

 Association) points out the reason why the use of alcohol makes 

 one hable to consumption. He mentions the use of alcohol among 

 various other things which cause the natural vital resistance of 

 the healthy body to be impaired. Among those other things men- 

 tioned with alcohol, which produce this impairment of vital re- 

 sistance, are : ' Living in overcrowded, ill-ventilated houses, on 

 damp soils, or insufficient clothing and outdoor exercise.' " — 

 Hall, Elementary Physiology. 



Tobacco has a somewhat similar effect, besides causing a con- 

 stant irritation of the diseased surfaces. 



