202 Physiology. 



chines. Still, starvation soon puts an end to our ability 

 to produce energy of any kind. 



How we depend on Plants. The larger part of our food 

 is vegetable. And the animal foods, such as meat, milk, 

 cheese, butter, eggs, etc., were made by the animals from 

 vegetable matter. We are, therefore, directly or indirectly, 

 dependent on plants for all our food. On the other hand, 

 plants use as their food considerable of the waste matter 

 thrown off by animals. 



Effect of Alcohol on Nutrition. Nutrition includes diges- 

 tion, absorption, circulation, respiration, assimilation, oxi- 

 dation, and excretion. Alcohol is capable of interfering 

 with every one of these processes. In the digestive tube 

 alcohol, taken in sufficient quantity, coagulates albumen 

 and retards the action of the gastric and other juices. 

 Circulation is usually disturbed by the presence of alco- 

 hol, and its continued use, even in quantities that the user 

 considers moderate, may permanently injure the organs 

 of circulation in several ways that have been described. 

 Respiration may be affected, and the whole system weak- 

 ened by reducing the lung power. But the effects of 

 alcohol on nutrition are especially marked in the processes 

 that are more particularly designated by the word " nutri- 

 tion." These processes take place in the tissues : growth, 

 the oxidations in the cells, the production of force, and 

 the production of waste material in the cells. All these 

 processes are seriously hindered by the presence of the 

 poisonous substance, alcohol. 



Alcohol and Oxidation. The imperfect oxidation in the 

 tissues caused by alcohol is like the imperfect burning of 

 a lamp or stove, which produces little heat, but much 

 smoke. The soot of a smoking lamp illustrates the inju- 



