STIMULANTS AND NARCOTICS 71 



91. Effect of a moderate amount of alcohol on the off- 

 spring. Another most striking result of the use of alcohol 

 was shown in its effects on the young of " Bum " and " Tipsy." 

 Of the twenty-three puppies descended from these alcoholic 

 animals, only 17 per cent lived to be normal dogs ; the rest 

 were either deformed or unable to nourish themselves, and all 

 died soon after birth. On the other hand, of the forty-five 

 young of " Nig " and " Topsy," over 90 per cent were healthy 

 puppies. Hence, the puppies of the dogs that took alcohol 

 even in moderation were over five times as likely to die young 

 as were the puppies born of abstaining parents. 



92. Effect of a moderate amount of alcohol on resistance 

 to disease. In the spring of 1897, in the course of these 

 experiments, a great many dogs throughout the city of 

 Worcester were afflicted with distemper, and dogs sick with 

 the disease were not uncommon on the streets. At that time, 

 Dr. Hodge had, in all, five dogs that were taking alcohol and 

 four that were not. It was found that there was a marked 

 difference in the effect of the disease on the two classes of 

 animals. All the alcoholic dogs, with the exception of the 

 one that had taken the smallest amount, had the distemper 

 with great severity ; all the normal dogs had it in the mildest 

 possible form. 



93. Summary of Professor Hodge's conclusions. Hence, 

 we may conclude from these experiments that alcohol, when 

 given to dogs, even in moderation, (1) decreases their natural 

 activity, (2) lessens their power of endurance and their 

 ability to accomplish things, (3) decreases their power of 

 resistance to disease, and (4) increases the percentage of 

 deformity and of death among their offspring. These con- 

 clusions have a most important bearing on the general sub- 

 ject that we are considering, for observations show that sim- 



