60 ADVANCED PHYSIOLOGY 



nish a little heat, a larger amount of alcohol does not furnish 

 more heat; it simply exerts a stronger and more clearly poison- 

 ous action. Moreover, the heat is not really utilized so effi- 

 ciently as is the heat that comes from the oxidation of sugars; 

 for one of the first effects of alcohol on the body is to enlarge the 

 blood vessels in the skin, producing a flushed condition. This 

 at once causes an increased loss of heat and in many cases, 

 if not in all, more heat is lost in this way than is gained from 

 the alcohol oxidized. The total result is, therefore, a loss rather 

 than a gain of heat. 



When we consider its further effects on the body, we soon 

 find that it cannot properly be classed with the fuel foods 

 like starch and sugar. Gunpowder if placed in a stove will 

 yield plenty of heat, but notwithstanding this fact, it should 

 certainly not be classed with fuels like wood and coal. So 

 alcohol, even though it yields heat, has at the same time such 

 undesirable effects upon the body as to destroy its value 

 as a fuel food. The most exhaustive study has shown that 

 alcohol is certainly a poison, interfering with the normal 

 action of the cells of the body, and above all, with the nor- 

 mal action of the brain. This will be considered at length in 

 a later chapter. 



Nor is there any difference of opinion as to the wisest 

 course to pursue in regard to the use of all forms of alcoholic 

 drinks. They are all injurious, tending to throw the organs 

 out of order, especially those ol the nervous system, and they 

 interfere with a healthful, vigoroup life. Everyone who 

 indulges in them at all is occasionally or constantly under the 

 influence of their poisoning effect, and the onh safe course 

 is to avoid their use entirely. 



Concerning these facts there is no question.. The dispute 

 as to whether alcohol should or should not be called a fooa 

 has been due to a difference in opinion as to the definition 

 of the word food and need not concern us. The accepted 

 f ,acts are clear and definite: alcohol is primarily a cellular 



