ALCOHOL 287 



in tlie primary stage, but depression is soon noted in tlie 

 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 observed, 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 incoordination of muscular movements, first of those more 

 highly and recently organized, such as are employed in 

 writing, and then the muscular 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 drunken 

 people occurs not 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 equilibrium. In relation to the 

 spinal cord, primary stimulation of the reflex centres is 

 more marked in animals than in man, as has been pointed 

 out. In animals this stimulation causes motor excitement, 

 so that the patient trembles, jumps about, or strikes out 

 with the feet. Depression of the reflex centres occurs in 

 the latter stage of poisoning, and is exhibited by involuntary 

 defsecation and micturition ; sensation and voluntary motion 

 are lost. The motor nerves and muscles are not generally 

 paralyzed, except by the local action of alcohol. The 

 medulla finally becomes depressed and paralyzed, so that 

 respiration, which is first stimulated, now fails, and the 

 heart muscle becomes paralyzed and stops beating. 



The action of alcohol upon the nervous system may be 

 summarized with a fair degree of accuracy, as stimulation 

 and then depression of the parts enumerated below, and in 

 the following order : 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



