172 UNCONSCIOUS NERVOUS OPERATIONS 



more force, to expand the smaller blood vessels of the 

 skin, and to cause a more rapid flow of blood to the sur- 

 face. This produces a comfortable glow in the skin, and 

 the drinker thinks he has been warmed by his glass of wine 

 or beer or weak spirits. As a matter of fact, however, 

 most of the additional heat brought to the surface by the 

 increased flow of warm blood very soon passes off and is 

 followed by chilliness ; for the general bodily tempera- 

 ture, though at first raised by the oxidation of the alcohol, 

 is finally lowered by the increased radiation from the 

 surface. 



Alcohol in the stomach is rapidly absorbed and passes 

 into the blood stream. There the strong affinity of alco- 

 hol for oxygen, which leads them to enter very rapidly 

 into chemical combination, causes the alcohol to appropri- 

 ate the oxygen of the red corpuscles of the blood, which, 

 as we have seen ( 205), are the great oxygen carriers in 

 the body. This tends to impoverish the blood and render 

 it less valuable to the tissues. 



The immediate stimulation to the heart's action soon 

 passes away and, like other muscles, the muscles of the 

 heart lose power and contract with less force after having 

 been excited by alcohol. 



239. Effects of Tobacco upon the Circulation. The fre- 

 quent use of cigars 1 or cigarettes by the young seriously 

 affects the quality of the blood. The red blood corpus- 

 cles are not fully developed and charged with their nor- 

 mal supply of life-giving oxygen. This causes paleness 

 of the skin, often noticed in the face of the young smoker. 

 Palpitation of the heart is also a common result, followed 

 by permanent weakness, so that the whole system is 

 enfeebled, and mental vigor is impaired as well as physical 

 strength. Observant teachers can usually tell which of 



