April i8, 191 8] 



NATURE 



123 



icntific evidence, which is clearly explained. On 



ount of the moderation of the general tone of 



. book, it will probably fail to please extremists 

 both camps, neither of whom will be able to 



rive much comfort from its pages. Although 

 :he authors have been unable to find evidence of 

 in injurious action of moderate doses, well diluted 



(! at such intervals as to ensure the elimination 

 a previous dose, on the other hand they show 



It its action is bad when taken otherwise than 

 mentioned, and that it is devoid of beneficial 



(Ct in any form whatever, except in certain ab- 

 normal states to be referred to below. This point 

 in its favour is somewhat depreciated, however, 

 when it is pointed out that even moderate doses 

 involve some impairment of the higher nervous 

 fnnctions. In one or two places the impression 

 is given that an attempt is being made to make 

 nut the best case for it, and, on the whole, the 

 n \ iewer finds himself somewhat surprised that 

 X) little is actually made out on its behalf. 



The names of the committee should be given 

 in order to show how competent it was to treat 

 the problem in its various aspects without preju- 

 (iii-e. They are : Lord D'Abernon, Sir Geo. New- 

 man, Prof. Cushny, Dr. H. H. Dale, Capt. M. 

 Greenwood, Dr. W. McDougall, Dr. F. W, Mott, 

 Prof. Sherrington, and Dr. W. C. Sullivan. 



The first chapter is devoted mainly to the expla- 

 nation of certain terms used and to physiological 

 preliminaries, which are, indeed, remarkably well 

 done. It is pointed out that there is no mutual 

 exclusion between the properties of a fcod and of 

 a poison or drug; a substance, such as alcohol, 

 may be both. The nature of alcohol as a food is 

 discussed in the second chapter. It is oxidised 

 almost completely and can afford energy for mus- 

 cular work, as well as heat. But it cannot be 

 stored, as fat and carbohydrate are stored. It has 

 no kind of accessory action on metabolism. On 

 account of its drug action it can only be used as 

 a food in a restricted manner. In fact, recent 

 work by E. Mellanby (as yet unpublished) has 

 shown that the amount oxidised is the same 

 whether work is done or not. It is therefore not 

 a true foodstuff. 



The chief action of alcohol is on the nervous 

 -\stem, and is dealt with in the third and fourth 

 ( liapters. It is purely narcotic and not really 

 stimulant. The feeling of well-being is due to the 

 Mhmting of the higher faculties and the general 

 loss of control. Its effect on the; performance of all 

 kinds of muscular acts is to delay the rate at which 

 ilicy are done and to reduce efficiency by impair- 

 nuiit of skill. In this respect and in those de- 

 >i ribed in the succeeding chapters, if any effect at 

 all is produced, it is a lowering of functional ac- 

 ti\ity. The nervous mechanisms themselves are 

 s( nsitive to quite small quantities. 



In the fifth and sixth chapters it is shown that 

 moderate doses have no appreciable effect on 

 tiii,'^estion, respiration, or the heart. Larger doses 

 paralyse or depress them all. The stimulant action 

 in fainting is said to be due to an irritant effect on 

 the mouth, precisely similar to that of ammonia 

 NO. 2529, VOL. lOl] 



on the nose. Although pure alcohol has no effect 

 on digestion in moderate doses, certain wines 

 appear to be deleterious. An interesting question 

 is that of the feeling of warmth produced by it. 

 This is really due to dilatation of skin blood- 

 vessels, the sense-organs sensitive to temperature 

 being situated in the skin. The actual result is 

 a more rapid loss of heat. But here we come 

 across circumstances in which, from the point of 

 view of comfort, alcohol has something in its 

 favour. If a man, after exposure to cold, is taken 

 to warm surroundings, it can do no harm to give 

 him the feeling of warmth, since any heat he 

 loses is supplied from the outside. 



The valuable chapter on chronic alcoholism and 

 the cautious discussion of statistical data do not 

 admit of a brief abstract. 

 ! On p. 127 we are told that where an emergency 

 I calls for the highest powers of perception and 

 t judgment, together with prompt action, alcohol is 

 I unequivocally detrimental, but that there are 

 cases where a sedative action may be of advan- 

 tage. Such cases, amongst others, may be when 

 I excessive fatigue results in absence of appetite or 

 I inability to sleep. These states, of course, are 

 abnormal and ought not to occur. 



On the whole it seems to the reviewer that if a 

 man knowing nothing about the question were to 

 pick up this volume he would scarcely be tempted 

 to commence the consumption of alcohol. A care- 

 ful study of this excellent survey of the facts is 

 i to be recommended to everyone who takes an in- 

 j terest in the welfare of his fellow-men, and it is 

 I to be hoped that its price will not tend to restrict 

 j the wide diffusion that the book ought to have. 

 i W. M. Bayliss. 



TWO AERONAUTICAL BOOKS. 



(i) Airfare of To-day and of the Future. By 

 E. C, Middleton. Pp. xv+192. (London: 

 Constable and Co., Ltd., 1917.) Price 35. 6d. 

 net. 

 (2) A Dictionary of Aircraft. By W. Erskine 

 Dommett. Pp. 52. (London : Electrical Press, 

 Ltd., 1918.) Price 2s. net. 

 (i) 'T'HERE are two classes of aeronautical 

 i literature : books written by those who 

 thoroughly understand their subject, and intended 

 for the serious attention of those engaged in the 

 industry, and books written to supply the popular 

 demand for sensational literature on a new sub- 

 ject. The latter class generally show a lack of 

 knowledge of the technical side of the subject, as 

 is the case in the first of the works now under 

 review. "Airfare of To-day and of the Future" 

 is a jumble of ideas set down without attempt at 

 law and order, and the technical matter is very 

 often in serious error. For instance, the range 

 of action, of aircraft is stated to be about 150 

 miles, although the book bears the date 19 17. 

 The author has very hazy notions of stability, for 

 he states on p. 19 that "in a cloud an aeroplane 

 loses stability, which frequently ends in a nose- 

 dive " ! The nose-dive is, of course, due to the 



