136 HUMAN BIOLOGY 



seen in the case of steady drinking. This gradually de- 

 troys the soundness of the nervous system and weakens 

 self-control. The tendency with nearly all drinkers is to 

 increase the amount taken. 



Not Total Abstainers, but the Advocates of Universal 

 Moderation are the Visionaries. The evil results from 

 alcohol are so great as to be almost incredible. The 

 plainest statements of its effects are sometimes denounced 

 as unscientific by persons prejudiced in its favor. A part 

 of the two billion dollars annually paid for liquors is used 

 in influencing public opinion through the press. 



PRACTICAL QUESTIONS. 1. Why does travel often cure a sick 

 person when all else fails ? 2. Why is working more healthful than 

 "taking exercise 1 '? (p. 47.) 3. Is it better for children to play or to 

 take exercise ? 4. Why can one walk and carry on a conversation at 

 the same time ? (p. 127.) 5. How does indigestion cause a headache? 

 (P- I 33-) 6. Does perfectly comfortable clothing from head to foot 

 help to make one at ease in company ? Does uncomfortable clothing 

 tend to make one awkward ? 7. Why is it as important to have the 

 shoes and clothes perfectly comfortable when going out as when stay- 

 ing at home ? 8. When one's finger is cut, where is the pain ? 

 9. In what two ways may opening a window when a student is becom- 

 ing dull and drowsy at his books enable him to wake up and study with 

 ease? 10. What kinds of cells shrivel like a baked apple when they 

 become fatigued? (Fig. 117.) 11. A nerve or nerve fiber can hardly 

 become tired or fatigued, for the nerve cell supplies the energy. What 

 do we mean when we say the nerves are worn out? (Fig. 117.) 

 12. Why do you throw cold water upon a fainting person ? 13. Why does 

 constant, moderate drinking undermine the health more than occasional 

 intoxication ? 14. Why does stoppage of the circulation cause one to 

 faint? (See Chap. VI.) 15. Why is grazing the skin often more pain- 

 ful than cutting it ? (Colored Fig. i.) 16. Why do the lower ani- 

 mals always act upon sudden impulse ? What part of the brain enables 

 man to retain sensations and not act upon them until later ? 17. Does 

 " nervousness " more probably indicate a bright mind or a high temper ? 



18. What is the effect of a cold bath upon the nerves ? (Chap. II.) 



19. Did you ever know a cigarette smoker whose hand trembled ? 



20. Need there be any fear of a sobbing child holding its breath until 

 it dies ? 21. Why is muscle tone greater in cold weather ? 



