152 THE HUMAN BODY. 



more profound. The nerves that control the muscles are 

 but little affected at this stage, and yet they are disturbed. 

 A very little wine may spoil the chances of a rifleman in 

 a shooting-match, or of a player in a game of ball. 



2, As the amount of alcohol is increased, the higher 

 faculties of the mind grow dull, while the lower propensi- 

 ties are still further excited. That portion of the brain 

 which presides over the muscles loses its control. They 

 still act with force ; but they have no guide, and they do 

 not act together. A drunken man can strike a hard blow, 

 but he can not hit straight. The muscles of his legs fail 

 to combine their action. They are all at cross-purposes, 

 each contracting and relaxing without the direction of a 

 central power. The man's movements become as tangled 

 as his thoughts. 



3, Vanity and pugnacity are now aroused ; recklessness 

 displaces caution ; finally all self-control is lost, and the 

 lowest instincts rule. Ungoverned impulses lead to crime 

 and violence. The final stage is the drunken sleep. 



The course of events varies with different temperaments. 

 Some are but little excited, but gradually become stupid; 

 some never lose control of their limbs; some are good- 

 riatured; and some uniformly morose. All are for the 

 time insane. 



4, The after-effects of free indulgence in alcoholic drinks 

 are, an aching head, a foul stomach, unsteady nerves, and 

 depression of spirits. 



Drinkers often reach a condition in which this depres- 

 sion is constant, except when they are under the influence 

 of liquor. 



The appetite in many cases grows by gratification. It 

 becomes so strong that it is almost impossible to resist it: 



