862 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 387 



with the health of the man, and chapters one 

 to six treat of the food-stufEs, stimulants, con- 

 diments, cooking and preparation of food, 

 clothing, habits, exercise, rest, etc. Part II. 

 is devoted to the health of the house, with 

 chapters on sites and aspects for dwellings, 

 ventilation, heating, lighting, plumbing, etc. 

 Part III. deals with the factors which in- 

 fluence the health of the city, such as water 

 supplies, sewerage and scavenging of towns. 

 Part IV. deals with the health of the people, 

 more especially the preventable diseases; 

 chapter seventeen is devoted to school hygiene, 

 and chapter eighteen to the health of the 

 workshop; chapter nineteen to vital statistics 

 and tables of comparative mortality, and 

 chapter twenty to meteorology and climate. 

 The presentation of the subject is clear, con- 

 cise, logical and exact, and the student can- 

 not fail to be impressed with the value of such 

 a work. The summary of each chapter and 

 the questions on each chapter will also serve 

 a very useful purpose, in so far as they em- 

 phasize the salient points discussed. 



In his chapter on food-stuffs, he points out 

 the injurious effects of an excess or undue 

 preponderance of one or the other of three prin- 

 cipal alimentary principles, viz., the albumin- 

 ates, fats and carbohydrates, which should 

 prove of great practical value. 



The chapter on stimulants and condiments 

 is a very able presentation of the physiological 

 effects of these so-called accessory foods, which 

 when taken in moderation are what the Ger- 

 mans call ' Genussmittel,' or means of enjoy- 

 ment, as contrasted with the true foods or 

 means of nourishment. The author's views on 

 the subject of the use and abuse of alcohol are 

 quite in accord with scientific facts, and his 

 summary reads: 'Alcohol is a stimulant for 

 good or ill, in excess narcotic, habitual excess 

 leads to degeneration of the tissues, especially 

 of the brain and liver.' 



Our knowledge of the effects of alcohol may 

 be summed up as follows : In moderate and 

 diluted doses it evidently stimulates digestion, 

 as shovm by its beneficial effects after a 

 hearty meal, but large quantities interfere 

 with or arrest the peptonizing process and fre- 

 quently produce acute gastric catarrh. These 



effects are observed when alcohol is pres- 

 ent to the extent of 10 per cent, of the 

 gastric . contents. Alcohol also exerts a 

 marked diuretic effect which is due to a 

 direct irritation of the renal epithelium. The 

 habitual use of immoderate doses produces 

 chronic gastric catarrh, with consequent 

 impaired digestion and nutrition. It produces 

 fatty degeneration of the heart, liver and 

 arterial coats, probably because it promotes 

 the conversion of albuminoids into fats, the 

 connective tissue of the body increases in 

 amount and its subsequent contraction gives 

 rise to cirrhosis of the liver, Bright's disease 

 and chronic meningitis. Alcohol also pro- 

 duces structural changes of the cells of the 

 brain and spinal cord and leads to a gen- 

 eral physical, mental and moral deteriora- 

 tion, which is often transmitted to the 



On the whole we may conclude that alcohol 

 is an accessory food of value only when it be- 

 comes necessary to increase temporarily the 

 elasticity of mind and body and a desire and 

 capacity of work, but the subsequent depress- 

 ing effects and the baneful influence of its 

 misuse should make us careful in its employ- 

 ment even for therapeutic purposes, especially 

 when rest, proper food and some of the 

 alkaloidal beverages and stimulants may ac- 

 complish the same purpose. For persons in 

 health, alcohol in any form presents no ad- 

 vantages not found in other food-stuffs or 

 stimulants, and which are, moreover, free from 

 the dangers attending its use. While it is 

 quite true, as expressed by Dr. Gairdner, that 

 alcoholic drinks are at times a very enjoyable 

 and harmless luxury when honestly tested by 

 experience and kept within bounds by reason 

 and prudence, the facts are that during the 

 past decade there has been a marked increase 

 in this country in the rate of Bright's disease, 

 heart disease, dropsy and pneumonia, and the 

 immoderate use of alcoholic beverages may be 

 a factor in the development of these diseases. 



Chapters six, seven, eight, nine and ten on 

 habits, exercise, rest, sleep, idiosyncrasies, 

 heredity and the hygiene of habitations are of 

 special interest to the general reader. 



Chapter ten on potable waters and the ef- 



