ALCOHOL. 219 



the claims made for it. Alcohol contains but little oxygen 

 and burns readily and yields a large amount of energy in 

 the form of heat. It seems very natural, therefore, to 

 jump to the conclusion that it will oxidize in the body and 

 produce heat and, perhaps, other useful energy. It does 

 oxidize in the body, but, as already shown, it causes the 

 body to lose more heat than it furnishes, and the work 

 accomplished during the period of its influence is less than 

 that accomplished without it. 



The fact of the oxidization of alcohol in the body does 

 not necessarily prove that it furnishes the body energy 

 that can be utilized, for other substances, everywhere 

 recognized as poisons, such as muscarin and carbolic acid, 

 are also oxidized in the body. 



It has been claimed that alcohol spares the tissues of 

 the body, but it is doubtful if this is true, many experi- 

 ments going to show that instead of retarding loss it 

 actually causes an increased loss of tissue. 



The fact, then, seems clear that alcohol does not furnish 

 the body with available energy with which to carry on its 

 daily work. 



On the other hand, we can see how the readiness with 

 which alcohol is oxidized in the body is plainly injurious. 

 It is well known that most persons eat more than is needed ; 

 in fact, some of the best authorities state that the larger 

 part of the ills of the body, especially in later life, come 

 from overeating, or as an adage puts it, "one half of 

 what we eat enables us to live, the other half enables the 

 physicians to live." Now when, in addition to a surplus 

 of food, alcohol is also taken, the ready oxidation of the 

 latter prevents the complete oxidation of food, and favors 

 the accumulation of incompletely oxidized waste products, 

 which are very harmful in the system. They clog the 



