224 PHYSIOLOGY. 



brain run riot, the reins of judgment having been thrown 

 overboard. Power has not been gained, but control has 

 been lost. 



Alcohol is not the " elixir of life," it is the " fountain of 

 death." 



The Danger of using Alcohol. The danger is especially 

 great where there is a latent hereditary tendency to in- 

 ebriety or insanity. Many individuals, on finding a drug 

 which exhilarates and banishes the weight of oppression 

 by which they are borne down, are tempted beyond their 

 power of resistance, even though they know that the reac- 

 tion will bring them into a worse condition than the one 

 from which they sought relief. The pressure of modern 

 life, and the intensity of the struggle for a living, brings 

 about a condition of nervous strain that is fraught with 

 great danger. Every thinking man should see that to use 

 alcoholic drink for the relief of such a condition is like 

 venturing out in a boat above the Falls of Niagara he 

 knows not when the rushing, mighty power will gain the 

 mastery and dash him to destruction. 



READING. The Temperance Teachings of Science, Pal- 

 mer; The Foundation of Death, a Study of the Drink 

 Question, Gustafson ; The School Physiology Journal. 



Summary. i . Alcohol is a very dangerous drug and should be 

 used only when prescribed by a physician. 



2. Athletes avoid alcohol when training. 



3. A large per cent of crime is due to alcohol. 



4. On account of its rapid absorption alcohol is a quick recuperative 

 after collapse. 



5. In small amounts alcohol is oxidized in the body, producing 

 energy. 



6. Alcohol usually lowers the temperature of the body through the 

 increased skin circulation. 



