350 THE HUMAN BODY. 



ach may also be so irritated as to lead to vomiting. Then 

 comes deep drunken sleep; followed by headache, loss of 

 appetite, and prostration similar to, but more marked than, 

 that occurring after the smaller dose. 



If the alcoholic indulgence be repeated, day after day, 

 some of the above-described primary consequences become 

 less marked; but they give way to more serious functional 

 and structural diseases. 



The Secondary Effects of Alcohol vary much in inten- 

 sity with the form in which it is taken; also, no doubt, 

 flith the constitution of the person taking it, and with 

 the length of time during which he has been drink- 

 ing. We shall consider them, in three groups: I. Compa- 

 ratively slight and curable diseased states due to what 

 is commonly considered moderate drinking. II. Severe 

 acute alcoholic diseases. III. Chronic and usually incur- 

 able morbid states, due to steady prolonged drinking; 

 these fall into three main subdivisions: a. General tissue- 

 deterioration; 7). Destruction, more or less complete, of cer- 

 tain organs; c. Deterioration of mind and character. 



I. Minor Diseased Conditions produced by Moderate 

 Drinking. Of these, alcoholic dyspepsia is the most 

 frequent. A vast number of persons suffer from it 

 without knowing its cause; people who were never drunk 

 in their lives, and consider themselves very temperate. 

 " The symptoms vary, but when slight are something like 

 these: A man (or woman) complains of slight loss of appe- 

 tite, especially in the morning for breakfast; feels languid 

 either on rising or early in the day; retches a little in the 



"What happens if the dose of alcohol be taken day after day? 

 Classify the secondary actions of alcohol upon the body. 

 Give an account of alcoholic dyspepsia. 



