ALCOHOL AS A MEDICINE. 97 



11. Alcohol is a Medicine. In many diseases the body 

 needs rousing to make a special effort, and the physician 

 has to order an alcoholic stimulant, or some substance 

 which acts on the body in a like way. Not merely is it 

 a powerful stimulant, but in moderate doses it checks 

 for a time the oxidations of the body, and thus dimin- 

 ishes the wasting of its organs. This only harms a 

 healthy well-nourished person, but may often be use- 

 ful in impaired health. In fact, alcohol is a medicine, 

 and often a very valuable one. It may be classed with 

 strychnine, arsenic, opium, and other drugs, which are 

 useful in various impaired states of health, but so dan- 

 gerous that they should only be taken on the advice of 

 a doctor, and in the exact manner and quantity ordered 

 by him. 



Probably few physicians would be willing to omit 

 alcohol from the list of remedies; but many patients 

 have acquired drinking habits from first taking an alco- 

 holic stimulant on the "doctor's advice." Many medical 

 men, for this reason, prescribe it in some disguised form; 

 and this is the better plan. 



ii. When may it become necessary to take alcohol internally? 

 With what poisonous drugs classed ? Precautions to be used? 



