ALCOHOLIC POISON.
stomach of Alexis St. Martin, a wounded soldier,
the interior of whose stomach was exposed to
view through an opening in the abdomen. St.
Martin had been addicted to the use of liquor,
and sometimes broke away from the restraints
imposed upon him by the doctor's experiments,
and indulged his appetite for alcoholic drink.
After these occasions, Dr. Beaumont always no-
ticed that the mucous membrane of the stomach
was greatly congested. Even the use of a small
quantity of alcoholic drink was sufficient to pro-
duce an inflamed appearance, while greater ex-
cess caused the stomach to present a surface
swollen and roughened with inflammation, with
numerous black patches of deadened tissue, and
ulcers.
Notwithstanding this terrible condition of his
stomach, St. Martin was scarcely conscious of any
disturbance, and thought himself as well as usu-
al! Why was this ? Because the stomach has few
nerves of general sensibility, and suffers long be-
fore it remonstrates.
The stomach of an habitual drinker resembles
pounded beefsteak more nearly than any human
tissue,
Alcohol a Powerful Narcotic.
The best of medical authorities agree that this
drug is a most powerful narcotic. It deadens the
sensibility of the nerves, like ether, chloroform,
and nitrous oxide. Chloroform and ether are
both compounds which are made from alcohol.
ITS PHYSICAL EFFECTS, 19
" Half an ounce of alcohol held in the moyth a few
minutes will so deaden the nerves of taste that
they can appreciate no difference between salt
and sugar, between sour and bitter. When alco-
hol is taken into the blood, it produces a similar
condition in- the brain and all the great nerve
centers.
Says Dr. E. Smith, of alcohol, “I hold that its
action, in all doses, is always that of a narcotic
and paralyzer.”
Alcohol Destroys the Blood.
When this fiery drug is taken into the stom-
ach, it is soon absorbed into the circulation,
where it comes in contact with the corpuscles of
the blood. The effect upon these delicate and
“important structures we can study by applying
. alcohol to the blood outside of the body ; for the
corpuscles will retain their life and activity for
several weeks after being removed from the
body, if placed under proper conditions. To
make sure of no mistake about this matter, we
will do the experiment while we write. Our
microscope, which will magnify one million times,
being in readiness, we thrust a needle into a fin-
ger and thus obtain a tiny drop of blood. Plac-
ing it upon a glass slide, we adjust it upon the
instrument and look at it. Although the film of
blood in view is so thin as to be transparent, it
"iy crowded with beautiful bi-concave discs, the
red blood corpuscles, each of which is perfectly