122 TEE HUMAN BODY. 



Is Alcohol a Tissue-Forming Food ? To this the answer 

 is certainly no; so far at least as useful tissue is concerned. 

 It often leads to excessive and harmful overgrowth of con- 

 nective tissue and fat, but it does not lead to development 

 of muscle or brain or gland. 



Is Alcohol a Strengthening Food? To this the answer is 

 also no. Alcohol in small doses causes excitement of the 

 brain, and may for a short time cause it and the muscles to 

 overwork or to work when they should be resting: but as it 

 nourishes neither, the final result is bad. The brain and 

 muscle are left in an injured state. As regards the brain, 

 the consequence is often insanity (Chap. XXIII.). As 

 regards the muscles, very careful experiments have been 

 made on soldiers who were given definite tasks to accomplish. 

 The result was that on the days on which they were sup- 

 plied with spirits, they could neither use their muscles as 

 powerfully, nor for as long a time, as on the days when 

 they got no alcoholic drink. 



Does Alcohol keep up the Heat of the Body ? To this 

 question, also, the answer is no, though this may seem 

 strange in view of the fact that a drink is often taken 

 ( ' to warm one up." The apparent inconsistency is easily 

 explained. Our feeling of being warm depends on the 

 nerves of the skin (p. 333). We have no nerves which tell 

 us whether heart or muscles or brain are warmer or cooler. 

 These inside parts are always hotter than the skin, and if 

 blood which has been made hot in them flows in large 

 quantity to the skin, we feel warmer because the skin is 



What is said of alcohol as a tissue-forming food? 



Is alcohol a strengthening food? How may it lead to overwork? 

 Results? What were the results of experiments made on soldiers as 

 to the action of alcohol on the muscles? 



Does alcohol maintain the heat of the body? Why does a drink 

 sometimes make a person feel warmer? 



