216 INORGANIC AGENTS 



The law of dissolution is demonstrated by alcohol, as the more highly 

 organized centres, and those more recently developed in the process of 

 evolution are the first to succumb, and following out this order the med- 

 ulla, the first of the higher centres to be developed, is the last to be 

 influenced by the drug. In accordance with this law the cerebrum is 

 first acted upon. The period of excitement is brief and is due in a con- 

 siderable degree to the increased cerebral circulation and flushing of the 

 brain. It is essential to emphasize the fact that by far the most appar- 

 ent and decided action of alcohol is one of depression upon the nervous 

 system as a whole. Many experimenters — as Schmiedeberg and Bunge — 

 affirm that alcohol acts only as a depressant to the nervous system from 

 the very outset. An, increasing mass of evidence corroborates this view. 

 The apparent enhanced mental activity in man is, according to this 

 theory, simply due to lack of inhibitory control over the higher cerebral 

 centres. Hence the freedom of speech and lack of modesty. Similarly 

 the activity of the spinal reflex centres is thought to follow failure of 

 inhibition. The mental excitement in man is chiefly due to exciting sur- 

 roundings and does not occur in many persons nor in animals. 



That alcohol is no more a nervous than a circulatory stimulant is 

 now being generally accepted. It is a narcotic and stands between the 

 anesthetics— rapid, powerful and transitory — and the hypnotics, slower 

 and milder in action. 



Alcohol has certainly a primary stimulating effect on nerve centres, 

 probably from ephemeral protoplasmic irritation, but alcohol can not be 

 regarded as a cerebral stimulant like caffeine. The stimulating influence 

 of alcohol upon the spinal centres is more marked in the lower animals 

 than in man, because the brain is proportionately small and poorly de- 

 veloped in the former. The primary stimulating effect of alcohol is 

 shown in man by increased mental activity and apparent brilliancy, but 

 acute reasoning and judgment are not enhanced, and in many cases there 

 is almost immediate mental confusion and drowsiness induced. In man 

 there is emotional excitement and the functions of speech and imagina- 

 tion are stimulated in the primary stage, but depression is soon noted 

 in the loss of judgment and reasoning power, emotional control, decent 

 restraint and speech. The patient cries, shouts, sings or laughs and 

 talks incoherently. In the lower animals the stimulation of the higher 

 and sensory psychical cerebral centres, with exhilaration, is rarely ob- 

 served, but depression is seen in stupor and muscular incoordination. 

 Stimulation of the cerebral motor centres is shown by motor excitement. 



In man, following the symptoms described above, there is inco- 

 ordination of muscular movements, first of those more highly and re- 

 cently organized, such as are employed in writing, and then the muscu- 

 lar movements more remotely developed are affected, and the person is 

 unable to walk, and finally there is complete paralysis of the motor 

 centres and muscles. The staggering and uncertain gait of drunkep 

 people occurs nob only because the cerebral motor and cerebellar centres 

 are depressed by alcohol, but also because of loss of sensation and 

 touch, or muscular sense, which is essential in maintaining the equUib- 



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