74 STUDIES IN PHYSIOLOGY 



shown in its effects on the young of " Bum " and " Tipsy." 

 Of the 23 puppies descended from these alcoholic animals, 

 only 17% lived to be normal dogs; the rest were either de- 

 formed or unable to nourish themselves, and all died soon 

 after birth. On the other hand, of the 45 young of " Nig " 

 and "Topsy," over 90% were healthy puppies. (See Fig. 

 20.) Hence, the puppies of the dogs that took alcohol, even 

 in moderation, were over Jive times as likely to die young 

 as were the puppies born of abstaining parents. 



In the spring of 1897, in the course of these experiments, 

 a great many dogs . throughout the city of Worcester were 

 afflicted with distemper, and dogs sick with the disease 

 were not uncommon on the streets. At that time, Dr. Hodge 

 had in all five dogs that were taking alcohol and four that 

 were not. It was found that there was a marked difference in 

 the effect of the disease on the two classes of animals. All 

 the alcoholic dogs, with the exception of the one that had 

 taken the smallest amount, had the distemper with great 

 severity ; all the normal dogs had it in the mildest possible 

 form. 



Hence, we may conclude from these experiments that al- 

 cohol, when given to dogs, even in moderation, (1) decreases 

 their natural activity, (2) lessens their power of endurance 

 and their ability to accomplish things, (3) decreases their 

 power of resistance to disease, and (4) increases the percent- 

 age of deformity and of death among their offspring. 

 These conclusions have a most important bearing on the gen- 

 eral subject we are considering, for statistics show that pre- 

 cisely similar effects follow even the moderate use of liquor 

 by human beings. 



