112 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



(see page 32). It is as dangerous to use such impure water 

 for washing as for drinking. In cities the slops are carried 

 away in pipes called sewers. They empty into the rivers 

 or into the sea, and their waste matters are washed away. 

 Sewers give off a foul gas, and great care is needed to 

 prevent its getting into our houses. 



214. Effects of alcohol upon the kidneys. From the 

 time alcohol is swallowed it causes more waste matters to 

 be formed. It hinders digestion, so that the food does not 

 reach the liver in the right form. The liver is overworked 

 in changing the food to blood, and lets some through half 

 changed, and even lets poisons pass through. Then, in 

 the liver, alcohol appropriates oxygen and the food is not 

 properly oxidized, but still more poisons are made. The 

 kidneys and skin try to get rid of these poisons, and may 

 do it for a long while, but they become overworked and 

 finally fail, and then Bright's disease comes on. Alcohol 

 makes more kidney trouble than all other causes put to- 

 gether ; in fact, it is almost impossible to drink for a long 

 time without bringing on kidney disease. 



215. Alcohol and the skin. Alcohol causes an increased 

 flow of blood through the skin, making it redder than 

 usual. After a few weeks of drinking, the skin and eyes 

 remain red continuously, and their cells do not receive 

 proper nourishment from the blood. These effects are 

 seen upon the face more than anywhere else. Its skin 

 is often rough or spotted, or covered with pimples. Often 

 the nose becomes thicker and larger. All these things 

 give the skin a very unpleasant appearance, but they indi- 

 cate the condition of the whole body. A skin which is 

 weakened by alcohol cannot do the work of the kidneys, 

 and kidney disease in drinkers is much harder to cure 

 than in those whose skins are in good order. 



