288 INOKGANIC AGENTS 



Cerebral psychical centres. Spinal centres. 

 Cerebral sensory centres. Sensory, reflex and motor. 



Cerebral motor centres. Medullary centres. 



Cerebellum. Vasomotor (early depression). 



Respiratory. 



Horses and dogs are comparatively susceptible to alco- 

 Aol, ruminants slightly so. An amount of alcohol equivalent 

 to a pint of whiskey has killed a sound horse, while four 

 ounces of whiskey will cause death in dogs if vomition he 

 prevented by ligature of the oesophagus. 



Primary motor excitement is followed by unsteady, stag- 

 gering gait, and coma in fatal eases. 



Skin, — Alcohol dilates the peripheral vessels, and there- 

 fore brings more blood to the sudoriparous glands, and ex- 

 cites their functional activity. It is thus a diaphoretic. 



Kidneys. — Alcohol acts as a diuretic. The exact mode 

 of this action is unknown. 



Nutrition. — Alcohol is a food, and, like other non-nitrog- 

 enous foods, supplies force and energy in its oxidation, takes 

 the place of fats and carbohydrates, and may form fat in 

 the body. It also protects food and tissue proteids from 

 combustion. We are ignorant of the fate of alcohol after 

 absorption, but we do know that the greater portion is de- 

 composed and is not eliminated. Alcohol is most advant- 

 ageous as a food in fever, or in conditions associated with 

 weak digestion, since it is readily absorbed and assimilated. 

 Alcohol causes dulness and lessened power for mental or 

 physical work in man, and in normal conditions is not a 

 desirable food unless there is a deficiency in the ordinary 

 diet. In acting as a substitute for fat and carbohydrates, 

 alcohol assists the accumulation of fat. 



Elimination. — When alcohol is ingested in ordinary 

 doses it is practically all consumed, and none but the most 

 trivial amount is eliminated, i. e., five to ten per cent. The 

 greater the quantity absorbed the larger the amount elimin- 

 ated by the urine, breath, sweat and faeces, both relatively 

 and absolutely; but tmder no circumstances after the most 

 enormous doses does the elimination exceed 25 per cent, of 

 the quantity ingested. Milk is not affected in quality or 

 quantity through the ingestion of alcohol by the animal 

 secreting it. 



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