DIGESTION 145 



53. The Spleen. The spleen is situated on the left side of 

 the abdomen behind the stomach. It is called the "milt" by 

 the butcher. It has no duct, and its uses are not positively 

 known. In malarial fevers, it is sometimes much enlarged, 

 and the individual is said to have an " ague cake." 



54. Effect of Alcohol upo'n Digestion. The irritating effects 

 of alcohol upon the lining of the stomach* are first seen in 

 deranged digestive action, in loss of appetite, and at a later 

 stage, in changes in the stomach's structure, principally by a 

 thickening of the walls of that organ. (Head Note 14.) 



studio of a sculptor of world-wide reputation. We had discussed the 

 perfections of female beauty, and I felt that I was sitting at the feet of a 

 thinker, as well as an ' elegans formarum spectator. 1 In the evening we 

 met again at a hospitable palazzo, and, under cover of the waltz, from a 

 quiet corner of observation, we saw hurling by in the flesh, much that we 

 had been thinking of in the marble and the clay, and our eyes could not 

 but follow one particular face, famous for the assistance its great natural 

 beauty received from art. 4 Face,' I said, but the mind of Hiram Powers 

 was penetrating deeper, for he exclaimed, after a short silence : ' That 



is all very well, but I want to know where Lady puts her liver I* 



Where, indeed ! for, calculating the circumference of the waist by the 

 eye, allowing a minimum thickness for the walls of the chest, an area for 

 the spine, oesophagus, and great blood-vessels, the section of the waist 

 seemed to admit of no room for anything else. In such a body the liver 

 must be squeezed down into the abdomen, stick into its hollow neighbors, 

 and infringe upon all the organs. The organ which suffers most is the 

 unresisting stomach, which is dragged and pushed out qf all form during 

 the continuance of this packing process." Dr. T. K. Chambers on the 

 Indigestions. 



* Dyspepsia due to Alcohol. "Many cases of dyspepsia are due to 

 alcohol solely and wholly, and no reliance whatever can be placed upon 

 the word, statement, or assertion under oath of a drunkard; for 'a 

 drunkard is a liar.' And this holds good of both sexes, all ages, every- 

 where and ever." Dr. J. M. Pother gill. 



14. Cordials, Bitters, etc. "In health, alcohol no wise plays a 

 friendly part in regard to digestion. And it is just here that a mistake 

 is made by many persons who have been deluded into the use of what 

 are termed ' cordials ' ; these are very strong alcoholic liquors, and they 

 are supposed by those who use them to be especially appropriate at the 

 end of a hearty meal. Absinthe, the pet poison of the Parisian, is one of 

 these falsely-named ' cordial 'substances. These cordials are never less 



53. What is the location of the spleen ? 



54. How ia the digestion affected by alcohol f 



