232 



OUR BODIES AND HOW WE LIVE 



quickened action of the heart, and with it the dilatation of 

 the blood vessels. The face is flushed and there is a glow 

 over the skin, because the nerves which regulate the size 

 of the blood vessels are partially paralyzed by the alcohol. 

 The tiny blood vessels of the brain are dilated and the 

 nerve cells are stimulated. The brain 

 may become more active, thoughts 

 flow more rapidly, and the speech 

 become more fluent ; but such activ- 

 ity is only an indication of a disturb- 

 ance of the natural conditions of the 

 body. The power of right thinking 

 is diminished, and the fluent speech 

 in a short time tends to become 

 lacking in good sense. 



The parts of the brain used in the 

 higher processes of thought and rea- 

 soning seem to be the most delicate 

 and therefore most easily injured. 

 Investigation has shown that it is 

 these delicate parts of the brain 

 which are first injured by alcohol. 

 Thus, the common observation that 

 alcohol impairs first the higher func- 

 tions of the mind finds its confirma- 

 tion and explanation in discoveries 

 made by the microscope concerning the changes which alco- 

 hol may cause in the actual structures of the brain. 



The effect of wine sometimes seen at a social dinner where 

 those who have taken moderate amounts begin to grow talka- 

 tive, excitable, and hilarious represents an unnatural state 

 of the nervous system. Such persons are really in the first 



FIG. 146. Superficial, or 

 Cutaneous, Nerves on 

 the Back of the Left 

 Forearm and Hand. 



