Alcohol. 215 



the army and navy, on the march and in camp, in hot and 

 cold climates, in mountain-climbing, in training for boxing, 

 boating, and other athletic contests, and as a result the 

 uniform testimony is that it fails to sustain energy, that is, 

 as a food it is a failure. Experience shows that men can 

 endure more cold and more hard labor without alcohol 

 than with it. This has been repeatedly proved in Arctic 

 expeditions, in the army and navy, during the hardships 

 and exposures of forced marches and deprivations in all 

 climates. Neither in hot nor in cold climates is alcohol 

 necessary to health, and even its moderate use does more 

 harm than good. 



This testimony as to the uselessness of alcohol is all the 

 stronger on account of the chemical nature of alcohol and 

 the claims made for it. Alcohol contains but little oxygen 

 and burns readily and yields a large amount of energy in 

 the form of heat. It seems very natural, therefore, to 

 jump to the conclusion that it will oxidize in the body 

 and produce heat and, perhaps, other useful energy. It 

 does oxidize in the body, but, as already shown, it tends 

 to lower the temperature of the body, and when it does so 

 it causes the body to lose more heat than it furnishes. 

 The work accomplished during the period of its influence 

 is less than that accomplished without it. 



The fact of the oxidation of alcohol in the body does 

 not necessarily prove that it is a valuable source of energy 

 that can be utilized by the body. Other substances, every- 

 where recognized as poisons, such as morphine and car- 

 bolic acid, are also oxidized in the body. Alcohol makes 

 the body less able to carry on its daily work than when no 

 alcohol is taken. 



On the other hand, we can see how the readiness with 

 which alcohol is oxidized in the body is plainly injurious. 



