ALCOHOL. 345 



his reserve force, and perhaps carry himself and his rider 

 safely past some point of special danger; but it does not in 

 any way nourish the horse. As regards the healthy human 

 body alcohol may be compared to a whip: an amount of it 

 not sufficient to cause drunken sleep, temporarily excites 

 various organs; but the consequence is subsequent greater 

 exhaustion. 



So far we have learned that alcohol as a regular article 

 of diet is, at least, useless. Were that all, we might regret 

 the annual waste of corn, barley, wheat, and fruits in its 

 production; and think the man foolish who spent his 

 money on it. In such case the matter would be one for 

 moralists and political economists to deal with, and phy- 

 siologists and students of hygiene might leave it alone. 

 Unfortunately, alcoholic drinks are not merely useless but 

 positively hurtful, when taken regularly, even in what is 

 usually called moderation. Alcohol has probably caused 

 in the past, and is certainly causing at present in civilized 

 nations, more disease and death than either bad drainage, 

 bad ventilation, overcrowding, deficient food, overwork, or 

 any other of the conditions prejudicial to health concern- 

 ing which Physiology and Hygiene warn us. The moral 

 degradation and the physical condition of the drunkard 

 speak for themselves; it is therefore the more insidious 

 consequences of alcohol-drinking that we shall mainly 

 describe. 



Alcohol, when pure, is a transparent colorless liquid, 

 containing the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen 

 (C 2 H 6 0); it is lighter than water, arid boils at a con- 



Wliat substances are wasted that alcohol may be produced? 

 Compare the injury to health resulting from bad drainage, etc. 

 with that produced by alcohol. 

 Describe pure alcohol. 



