170 THE CIRCULATION 



47. The late Dr. Parkes made a careful study of the amount 

 of strain put upon the heart by alcohol. He found that it 

 increased both the number and force of the heart's pulsations. 

 The period of rest between the beats is reduced, and, conse- 

 quently, the heart's nutrition must be interfered with. He 

 estimates, in one set of experiments, that the extra work of 

 the heart, induced by alcohol, was equivalent to the lifting of 

 15.8 tons one foot daily ; and during two days, 24 tons in excess 

 of the regular work. Another experimenter states that he has 

 known a single glass of liquor to cause 8000 extra heart-beats, 

 equivalent to the unnecessary lifting of 9 tons the distance of 

 one foot. Estimated in another way, this amount of over-tax 

 of the heart is equal to that which takes place, during one day, 

 in a person having a fever that raises the pulse six to nine 

 beats above the rate of health. 



48. Alcohol as a Fat Producer. Alcohol is said to diminish 

 waste, and to make those " fleshy " who use it. This may well 

 be the case in those and the proportion is not small who 

 are rendered sluggish and sleepy by it. The fat which they 

 acquire is the fat of inaction. If we may judge of the true 

 influence of alcohol by experiments on the lower animals, that 

 are compelled to take it pure, we will not grant it any fattening 

 power. 



49. There is a certain " fatty degeneration " in man the 

 result of alcohol drinking that is very disastrous, namely, a 

 deposit of fat in the muscles of the body. This is destructive 

 or weakening to muscular power, and when it evinces itself in 

 the heart, it creates a change that is to be dreaded as sapping 

 the strength of the one particular organ that should be strong 

 in drinkers. It attacks them at a vital spot. The blood also 

 undergoes a fatty change which greatly impairs its work of 

 nourishing the body. 



50. Exhaustion Due to Alcohol. The heart does not become 

 habituated to the poison nor become tolerant of it. On the 



47. Give Dr. Parkes' experiment. 



48. How does alcohol make one fleshy ? 



49. What results ? What change in the blood due to alcohol ? 



50. Does the heart tolerate alcohol ? Do users of it know the effects ? 



