ALCOHOL. 213 



cohol. For example, Reichert finds that moderate doses 

 of alcohol given to a dog do not affect the heat production 

 of the body as measured by a calorimeter. Since the alco- 

 hol is completely, or nearly completely, oxidized in the 

 body, and gives off considerable heat in the process, the 

 fact that the total heat production remains unaltered in- 

 dicates that the oxidation of the alcohol protects an iso- 

 dynamic amount of proteid or non-proteid material in the 

 body from consumption, thus acting as a foodstuff capable 

 of replacing other elements of the food. On the contrary, 

 Miura has arrived at exactly opposite results in a series of 

 experiments made by another method. In these experi- 

 ments Miura brought himself into a condition of nitrogen 

 equilibrium upon a mixed diet. Then for a certain period 

 a portion of the carbohydrates was omitted from the diet, 

 and its place substituted by an isodynamic amount of 

 alcohol. The result was a loss of proteid from the body, 

 showing that the alcohol had not protected the proteid 

 tissue as it should have done if it acts as a food. In a 

 third period the old diet was resumed, and after nitrogen 

 equilibrium had again been established, the same propor- 

 tion of carbohydrate was omitted from the diet, but alcohol 

 was not substituted. When the diet was poor in proteid 

 it was found that less proteid was lost from the body when 

 the alcohol was omitted than when it was used, indicating 

 that, so far from protecting the tissues of the body by its 

 oxidation, the alcohol exercised a directly injurious effect 

 upon proteid consumption. Numerous other researches 

 might be quoted to show that the effect of moderate quan- 

 tities of alcohol upon body metabolism is not yet satisfac- 

 torily understood. Before making any positive statements 

 as to the details of its action, it is wise, therefore, to wait 

 until reliable experimental results have accumulated. The 



