76 POOD ACCESSORIES 



or a poison. The final answer to this question must rest 

 upon experiment, and experiments have been conducted 

 in the past and are still being conducted to establish the 

 true answer to this question. The results of the past 

 experiments and the questions involved are outlined in 

 the following paragraphs : 



A poison is defined by the " International Dictionary " 

 as " any agent which, when introduced into the animal 

 organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious 

 or deadly effect upon it." 



A food we have defined (see p. 51) as " anjdihihg which 

 we eat or drink which nourishes the body." That is to 

 say, anything from which tissue may be built, or energy 

 produced without harm to the tissues of a person in a healthy 

 condition. 



The experiments of reliable investigators have estab- 

 lished the following facts concerning this question : 



First. Small quantities of grain alcohol (the amount 

 varies with the individual) may be completely oxidized 

 in the body, and by such oxidation energy is produced 

 exactly similar in kind and efi'ect to that produced by the 

 oxidation of fats and carbohydrates. 



Second. Small amounts of alcohol may be substituted 

 for equivalent amounts of fats and carbohydrate's in the 

 diet without direct harm to the tissues, and when so substi- 

 tuted they protect the other nutrients of the body in practi- 

 cally the same way as do the nutrients for which they are 

 substituted. 



Third. Small amounts of alcohol are absorbed directly 

 into the blood, that is, require no preparation for absorption. 



Fourth. In large amounts alcohol acts as a drug, is 

 always a poison, and causes direct harm to the tissues. 



