How Alcohol Affects Cell Life 397 



effects of alcoholic drinks on the various tissues and organs of 

 the body. 



SUMMARY 



In the simplest form of life, one-celled organisms, all the vital 

 functions occur. Experiments show that a dilute solution of 

 alcohol, when coming into contact with these organisms, decreases 

 their activity and often kills them. 



Experiments have shown that alcohol in dilute solution af- 

 fects the blood corpuscles unfavorably, the same as it does an 

 amoeba, a one-celled animal. A similar effect is produced by 

 alcohol on plant cells. 



Alcohol absorbs water from living tissues, hardening them. 



The effect of alcohol on the human system, if used regularly 

 even in small amounts, is cumulative, like that of other poisons. 



Alcohol, once in the circulation, deprives the cells of the oxygen 

 which they need, and tends to paralyze the red and the white cor- 

 puscles of the blood. 



FACT AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS 



1. State the effect of alcohol on the white corpuscles of the blood. 



2. What effect does alcohol have on yeast cells? 



3. Why does a piece of partially cooked meat harden when placed in 

 alcohol ? 



4. What reason is there to suppose that the effect of alcohol on an organ 

 of the body is the same as on a single cell? 



5. Why is the alcohol drinker more likely to suffer from exposure to 

 cold than a man who does not drink? 



6. Name three ways in which the use of alcohol keeps one from being 

 physically fit. 



7. Suggest how alcohol might prevent right action in an emergency. 



8. Why are continued small doses of alcohol dangerous? 



PROJECTS 



1. Pour a solution of alcohol into a small aquarium containing paramecia 

 and observe the effect on the animals. 



2. Describe experiments, about which you have read, that tell of the 

 effects of alcoholic solutions on one-celled organisms. 



REFERENCE 

 Alcohol and the Human Body Horsley and Sturge 



