THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 217 



mucus, provokes the flow of the ( l ) gastric and pancreatic ( 2 ) 

 juices, and is also a general stimulant to the nutritive operations, 

 promoting the growth of the organism. ( 3 ) 



Finally, it is an excitant of the muscular fibre, probably by 

 a nervous route, increasing its power and retarding its fatigue, ( 4 ) 

 at least for some time.( 5 ) 



152. Unfortunately alcohol is abused ; a physiological dose 

 is soon exceeded and becomes a poisonous dose. All the effects 

 a.e then disastrous. The organism cannot defend itself, because 

 it only eliminates, very slowly, small quantities of alcohol by the 

 urine, the perspiration and the respirations. ( 6 ) The mechanical 

 activity of the muscles incieases the elimination ( 7 ) a little, but 

 never sufficiently to neuti arise the dangerous action of this poison 

 on the nervous centres. In strong enough doses, more than 100 

 grammes a day, alcohol is a na.cotic, and a very penetrating, 

 posionous substance. It is often as poisonous in itself as in the 

 essences known as " spirits/' Some of these essences are con- 

 vulsive, others narcotic. In the former category are, in decreasing 

 order of their power, the essences of sage, absinthe, hyssop, rose- 

 mary, savory, fennel, sweet marjoram, calamint, and barilica. 

 In the lattei are thyme, wild thyme, lavender, rue and balm- 

 mint. 



Thus 6 centigrammes^ of essence of sage, introduced into the 

 blood of a dog weighing 7 kilogrammes *vould give him three 

 epileptic fits, and 25 centigi amines would kill him quickly. Man 

 is more sensitive to these effects, for whilst it requires 3 grammes 

 of essence of hyssop to cause convulsions in a dog weighing 7 

 kilogrammes, 2 grammes would be sufficient for a vigorous man 

 if he were fasting. ( 8 ) 



According to Triboulet and Mathieu,( 9 ) it would need to kill a 

 dog weighing 7 kilogrammes. 



Real cognac 108 cc. 



Kirsch : 109 



Cider 108 



Wine lees 103 



Plum brandy 103 



Heady alcohol (bad taste) 106 



(*) Kadzikowski (Ibid., vol. Ixxxiv., p. 513, 1901). 

 ( 2 ) Gizelt (Centralb.f. Physiol., vol. xix., p. 851, 1906). 

 (*) G. Pierrotti (Giornale della Reale Soc. Ital. d'Igiene di Milano, 1906). 

 ( 4 ) Lee and Salant (Amer. Journ. of Physiol. , vol. viii., pp. 61-74, 1903). 

 ( 6 ) E. Destree (Journ. Med. de Brux., 1897, p. 537), L. Schnyder 

 (PflUger's Arch., vol. xciii, p. 451, 1903). 



( 6 ) Grehant and Nicloux (Comptes Rendus Biologic, 1899, 1900, 1903). 



( 7 ) W. Woelz and A. Baudrexel (Pfltiger's Arch., vol. clxii., parts 1 and 2, 

 1911). 



( 8 ) Cadeac and Meunier (Comptes Rendus Biologie, 1891, p. 213. 

 () Triboulet and Mathieu (Ibid, 1901). 



