ACTION OF ALCOHOL ON THE STOMACH. \^l 



For a time, a person in this condition finds that another 

 glass of spirits or wine creates appetite and, by exciting 

 the stomach to secrete, promotes digestion. So he falls 

 daily more and more into the habit of drinking. The 

 consequence is that the stomach at last ceases to be 

 able to make gastric juice at all. The usual glass now 

 fails to produce appetite, and food if swallowed is not 

 digested. Unless a very strong effort be made to break 

 the habit, and skilful treatment be long employed to 

 get the stomach back into a healthy state, a man in this 

 condition is sure to die a drunkard. 



15. A Single Large Dose of Alcohol or of a drink con- 

 taining it frequently irritates the stomach so much as to 

 cause vomiting. This has saved the lives of many fool- 

 ish people. Occasionally a very large dose paralyzes 

 the stomach for a while, so that it does not absorb; 

 this is sometimes seen when a man, for a bet, undertakes 

 to drink a bottle of whiskey in a few minutes. If his 

 stomach does not reject it, he often appears unaffected 

 for half an hour or so: then suddenly falls down 

 drunk, and often dies in a short time. This occurs 

 when the stomach, having begun to recover from the 

 first shock, suddenly commences to absorb the alcohol. 



16. The Action of Alcohol on the Liver. All the blood 

 which flows through the mucous membrane of the 

 stomach goes straight to the liver, before it is carried to 

 any other organ of the body. This blood of course takes 



Explain. Consequences ? Why is a tippler apt to fall more into the 

 habit ? Consequences ? 



15. Usual action of a large dose of alcohol on the stomach? 

 Occasional result? Example? 



16. Where does blood leaving the stomach go next? What might 

 we expect as regards the result on the liver of alcohol-drinking? 



