FOODS: THEIR CLASSIFICATION 



393 



In a bulletin of the U. S. Department of Agriculture more de- 

 tailed analyses can be found. (Bull. 28.) 



Alcohol. Perhaps no single question in physiology has aroused 

 more discussion than that of the physiological position of alcohol. 

 Its use from time immemorial as a beverage, and the long history 

 of misery and crime which has followed its use to excess, make the 

 problem of its true place one of very great practical importance. 



We must recognize at the outset that alcohol has very diverse 

 immediate effects according as it is taken in large or small 

 amounts. The miserable spectacle presented by an intoxicated 

 man emphasizes only too clearly the harm of excessive indulgence ; 

 on the other hand, the taking of a small quantity often leads to an 

 appearance of heightened mental and physical ability. Both Mind 

 and Body seem more alert than commonly. No one questions 

 the injurious effects of large amounts of alcohol; the diversity of 

 opinion is with reference to its use in small doses. 



It has been demonstrated that alcohol in moderate amounts is 

 oxidized in the Body with the liberation of energy, and is there- 

 fore a fuel in the true sense of the word. That it may serve 

 as fuel is not in itself, however, justification for its use, even in 

 small quantities. It must be shown that its direct physiological 

 effects are not harmful to the Body, before it can be accepted as a 

 food. 



The action of alcohol in small doses appears to be chiefly upon 

 the nervous system, and particularly upon the higher portions of 



