300 THE HUMAN MECHANISM 



Even if a temporary advantage appears to be gained 

 in some cases or at some times, this has often to be 

 paid for by bad secondary effects, such as impaired ca- 

 pacity for good work some hours later; and in mental 

 work of the highest kind, such as original writing or 

 composition, the after effects of alcoholic drinks are some- 

 times prolonged and easily detected by the subject of 

 the experiment. 



16. Alcohol as a defense against exposure to cold. Because 

 of this effect upon the cutaneous circulation alcoholic drinks 

 are frequently used by men exposed to cold, with the mis- 

 taken idea that the conditions within the body are thereby 

 improved. The student has, however, learned (p. 193) that 

 a feeling or sensation of warmth does not necessarily indicate 

 greater heat production within the body; and he also knows 

 that bringing the blood to the skin when the body is ex- 

 posed to cold serves to increase the loss of heat. As a 

 matter of fact the internal temperature often falls when 

 alcohol is taken under these conditions. The story is told 

 of some woodsmen who were overtaken by a severe snow- 

 storm and had to spend the night away from camp; they 

 had with them a bottle of whisky, and, chilled to the bone, 

 some imbibed freely, while others refused to drink. Those 

 who drank soon felt comfortable and went to sleep in their 

 improvised shelter; those who did not drink felt very un- 

 comfortable throughout the night and could get no sleep, 

 but in the morning they were alive and able to struggle 

 back to camp, while their companions who had used alco- 

 holic drinks were found frozen to death. They had pur- 

 chased relief from their unpleasant sensations of cold at the 

 cost of lowering their body temperature below the safety 

 point. This, if true, was, of course, an extreme case; but 

 it accords with the universal experience of arctic travelers 

 and of lumbermen and hunters in northern woods, that the 

 use of alcohol during exposure to cold, although contributing 



