138 MATERIA MEDIC A AND THERAPEUTICS. 



corpuscles is still obscure, but it probably binds the oxygen 

 more firmly to the haemoglobin, so that oxygenation of the 

 tissues occurs less freely, and therefore less extensively. The 

 eit'ect of this upon metabolism will now be described. 



3. SPECIFIC ACTION. 



Alcohol is rapidly taken up by the various organs, chiefly 

 unchanged. If given in moderate quantity, it is (1) completely 

 oxydised in its passage through the tissues into carbonic acid and 

 water, like other carbohydrates, that is, it is a food, or source of 

 heat and energy. At the same time it produces two other 

 equally important effects ; for (2) it reduces the activity of 

 metabolism or the oxydation of the tissues ; and (3) it first 

 stimulates, and afterwards depresses, the circulatory and 

 nervous systems, quite independently of its action on tissue- 

 change. These three effects of alcohol must be discussed 

 separately. 



(1) Alcohol as a food. It may now be accepted as proved 

 that, when taken in sufficiently small quantities, alcohol is 

 oxydised in the tissues ; and that it only passes out of the body 

 unchanged, through the lungs, kidneys, etc., when so freely 

 given that excretion occurs before oxydation has had time to 

 take place. This decomposition of alcohol must necessarily 

 develop vital force and heat, like the oxydation of sugar, fat, 

 and albumen. Alcohol belongs to the class of foods which do 

 not become an integral part of the living cells, or " tissue 

 proteids," as does much of the albumen, salts, etc., but remain 

 in the plasma which bathes the cells, are oxydised there, and 

 constitute their pabulum, the materials which supply the 

 active elements with much of their energy, the " circulating 

 proteids," carbohydrates, etc. Thus it happens that alcohol can 

 for a time sustain life when no food (so-called) is taken, as in 

 confirmed drunkards, and in some cases of severe illness. 

 Professor Binz, of Bonn, who has studied this question with 

 L';v;it industry and success, has calculated how much energy is 

 contained in :i unnnmr <>!' alcohol, and finds that two ounces of 

 absolute alcohol yield about the same amount of warmth to 

 the body as is supplied by an ounce and a half of cod-liver oil. 

 The uses of alcohol as a food will be presently described along 

 with its other applications. 



(2) Alcohol as a nutritive depressant. Whilst it is itself 

 thus oxydised in the tissues, alcohol unquestionably interferes 

 with the metabolism or oxydation of other substances, especially 

 (it would appear) saving or sparing the wear and tear of the 

 " tissue-proteids," or formed protoplasm of the cells. This 

 has been determined from three facts observed in animals 



