Alcohol. 2 1 7 



Diseases produced by Alcohol. The organs most directly 

 affected and altered in structure by alcohol are the stomach, 

 heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and nervous system. Even 

 moderate drinking may affect any of these organs. Tremor 

 of the muscles, especially noticeable in the hands, is often 

 observed. This tremor reaches its extreme in the terrible 

 disease known as delirium tremens. The heart often un- 

 dergoes fatty degeneration, fat replacing part of the mus- 

 cle. The arteries may undergo the same change. The 

 kidneys are disordered, and one form of resulting disease 

 is known as Bright's disease. This is often caused by 

 moderate drinking. The lungs are more liable to be 

 attacked by consumption. But the most positive, and 

 the most serious, effect of 'alcoholic drinks is on the 

 nervous system, of which more will be said later. 



Predisposition to Disease caused by Alcohol. In many 

 cases where the use of alcoholic drink has not actually 

 shown a diseased condition, there is marked weakness and 

 inability to resist or throw off disease. Drinkers are much 

 more subject to sunstroke and to many* of the infectious 

 diseases. Yellow fever is almost surely fatal to the intem- 

 perate. Some forms of pneumonia are more likely to 

 attack the intemperate. The insidious nature of alcohol 

 and the evil effects of moderate drinking appear when the 

 body is attacked by disease. The body is found to be 

 undermined and sapped of its strength at the very time 

 when a reserve fund of vitality is needed to ward off the 

 approach of disease. 



Inheritance of the Effects of Alcohol Drinking. The 



evil is great enough when seen only in the individual who 

 indulges in the drink habit. But the inherited results are 

 often worse. The child of drinking parents may develop 



