346 Our Surroundings 



What do you conclude is the effect of the nicotine poison in the 

 tobacco on cells? 



Effect of Alcohol on the Lungs. It is claimed that the 

 continued use of alcohol causes the capillaries of the lungs to 

 dilate, or grow larger, causing congestion, or an overloading with 

 blood. Doctor Rau of Liverpool, England, reporting his experi- 

 ence with 1,047 cases of pneumonia, including 246 deaths, declares 

 that alcoholism, or continued use of alcohol, tends to make one 

 especially liable to this disease and greatly lessens the chance of 

 recovery when attacked by it. The high death rate from con- 

 sumption that occurs in places where alcohol is freely used would 

 seem to indicate that this stimulant affects the lungs unfavorably. 



Healthy Respiration. Healthy respiration depends on the 

 free access of oxygen to all the cells of the body. If, through 

 carelessness or bad habits or disease, the organs of respiration 

 become weakened or injured, they are not able to supply the cells 

 with an adequate quantity of oxygen to unite with the food sub- 

 stances. Even though enough food substances are furnished the 

 cells by the blood, the necessary amount of energy for carrying on 

 the life processes of the body cannot be generated without suf- 

 ficient oxygen, and ill-health will result. 



In the first place, whether at work or at play, we should be 

 sure that fresh air is always available. If outdoors, this is an 

 easy matter. If indoors, care should always be taken that fresh 

 air has free access to the room. If possible, it is desirable to 

 sleep in an outside porch properly protected from storms. In case 

 a porch is not available, the windows of the sleeping room should 

 be kept open. 



In the second place, we should make sure that the organs of 

 respiration are in a normal condition. One of the most common 

 errors is breathing through the mouth instead of the nose. This 

 is due usually to the stopping of the nasal passage by enlarged 

 tissues, called adenoids, that develop in the upper part of 

 the pharynx. Adenoids should be removed by the surgeon, 

 since they not only prevent the access of air to the lungs but 

 also cause a vacant expression of the face, and may produce 

 deafness. 



