396 GENERAL SCIENCE 



feres with the secretion of the digestive fluids and hence 

 with the digestion of certain foods. 



Alcohol. The action of the governments of several 

 of the countries of Europe during the great war gives us 

 a good idea of the trend of civilization with respect to 

 the use of alcohol. The question of the use of alcohol 

 has been a much discussed one of late years among physi- 

 ologists. Alcohol is composed of the elements carbon, 

 oxygen, and hydrogen and will to some extent satisfy the 

 requirements of the body for heat and muscular energy ; 

 yet its use is attended with dangerous results wholly 

 lacking in the use of carbohydrates and fats. It obstructs 

 the normal action of the liver and other organs, and loads 

 the circulation with impurities which are quite harmful 

 and dangerous to health. 



Effects of Alcohol. If we pour some 95 per cent 

 alcohol on the white of an egg, the albumen will immedi- 

 ately coagulate and present an appearance similar to 

 that of the coqked white of egg. This is because the 

 alcohol takes the water from the albumen. Strong 

 alcohol taken into the body acts in the same way and 

 draws the water from the living protoplasm, thus hard- 

 ening it. 



Alcohol taken into the body in very small quantities 

 apparently does no harm and is oxidized at the cells, 

 but if we examine the records of the life insurance com- 

 panies whose results are obtained by the averaging of 

 thousands of cases, we find that the expectation of life 

 is greatly decreased by even the moderate use of alcohol. 

 When we consider its ultimate effects we must classify 

 alcohol as poison, and not as a food. Hardening of the 

 arteries, cirrhosis of the liver, and various nerve disorders 

 are traceable to the use of alcohol. In addition the 



