330 A YEAR IN SCIENCE 



They are all dangerous drugs and should not be taken 

 except by the advice of a physician. In medicine these 

 drugs are all valuable, Because they benumb the 

 senses they are frequently used to give temporary relief 

 to those who are suffering intense pain. Persons some- 

 times begin the use of these drugs to relieve them of 

 pain or to produce sleep. In a short time they are 

 unable to stop taking them. Like other narcotics they 

 create an unnatural appetite which is only satisfied by 

 increasingly larger doses of the drug itself. The effect 

 upon the body is so great that the victim finally becomes 

 a moral and physical wreck. 



Alcohol. The alcohol used in drinks is always pro- 

 duced by the growth of yeast in some liquid containing 

 sugar. Yeast is a plant. It grows rapidly and produces 

 a chemical action called fermentation, by which sugar 

 is changed to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The alcoholic 

 liquors used are prepared by different processes, but 

 all depend for their stimulating effect upon the presence 

 of alcohol. 



You are already familiar with the fact that many 

 persons who at first use alcoholic liquors in moderation 

 later become slaves to their use. There is nothing more 

 deplorable than the sight of a person who has taken 

 such large quantities of alcohol that the activities of 

 the brain and muscles are impaired and weakened. He 

 does and says things of which, in his sober hours, he 

 is ashamed. There is no doubt of the injurious effects 

 of alcohol upon the body. Its effects are very wide- 



