ORGANS INJURED BY ALCOHOL. 357 



one of the organs most often and earliest attacked. This 

 we might expect, as all the alcohol absorbed from the stom- 

 ach is carried direct to the liver by the portal vein (p. 208). 



The Heart has its walls at first thickened (Jiypertrophied) 

 and its cavities dilated by the excessive work (p. 354) which 

 alcoholic drinks stimulate it to perform. If, as is usually 

 the case, fatty degeneration ensues, the organ gradually 

 becomes too feeble to pump the blood around the body, 

 and death results. 



The walls of the Arteries of drinkers frequently undergo 

 fatty degeneration; they lose their strength and elasticity, 

 and are liable to rupture, or to the disease known as aneu- 

 rism. 



The Kidneys are excited to undue activity, in part by 

 the dilatation of their blood-vessels, in part, perhaps, 

 through direct stimulation of their cells by alcohol circu- 

 lating in the blood. Once the liver is attacked the nitro- 

 genous waste of- the body is not carried to the kidneys in 

 proper form for excretion: some is held back, producing a 

 tendency to gout and rheumatism ; the rest is got rid of by 

 extra kidney effort. The usual result is fibrous degenera- 

 tion of the kidneys, causing one kind of Blight's disease. 



The Lungs, from the congested state of their vessels pro- 

 duced uy alcohol, are more subject to the influence of cold, 

 the result being frequent attacks of bronchitis. It has also 

 been recognized of late years that there is a peculiar form 

 of consumption of the lungs which is very rapidly fatal, and 

 found only in alcohol-drinkers. 



On the liver? Why is the liver especially apt to be attacked? On 

 the heart? On the arteries? 



How does alcohol affect the kidneys directly? How through the 

 liver-disease produced by it? What results? 



What lung-diseases are often produced by alcohol? 



