The General Problem of Keeping Well : Part 6

Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools
by Francis M. Walters

(Page 28 of 30)

Such is human nature and such are the forces and influences of human society, that the freeing of a people from the bondage of some habit-forming drug cannot be accomplished without strenuous and persistent effort. Education, persuasion, the good example of abstainers, and legal restrictions must be pitted against the forces that make for its continuance. Such a struggle is now in progress in all civilized countries relative to the use of alcoholic beverages.

How the Use of Alcohol became a Social Custom. - The general use of alcohol as a beverage may be accounted for by three facts. Alcohol is a habit-forming drug; it has a stimulating effect which many have found agreeable; and being a product of the fermentation of fruit juices and other liquids containing sugar, it is easily obtained. Through the operation of these causes the human family became habituated very early to the use of alcohol. The "wine" of primitive man, however, did little harm as compared with the alcoholic liquors of modern times. It was a weak solution and on account of the crude methods of manufacture and storage could only be produced in limited quantities. Perhaps the worst effect of its early use was the establishment of a general belief in its power to benefit, since this laid the foundation for excess in its use when the developments of a later period made it possible.

During the eleventh century the method of making alcoholic drinks from starch-producing substances, such as wheat, barley, and potatoes, became quite generally known, and also the method of concentrating them by distillation. This knowledge made possible the manufacture of alcoholic drinks in large quantities and in considerable variety. Alcoholic indulgence was now no longer the pastime of the few, but the privilege of all. Its evil effects followed as a matter of course; and as these became more and more apparent, there began the struggle to restrict the consumption of alcohol which has continued with varying success to the present time.

Counts against Alcohol. - The statements found in different parts of this book relative to the effects of alcohol upon the body may here be summarized as follows: -

1. Alcohol has an injurious effect upon the white corpuscles of the blood and lessens the power of the body to resist attacks of disease.

2. Alcohol injures the heart and the blood vessels.

3. Alcohol causes diseases of the liver and kidneys and interferes with the discharge of waste through these organs.

4. Alcohol interferes seriously with the regulation of the body temperature.

5. Alcohol is one of the worst enemies to the nervous system.

6. Through its effect upon the nervous system and through its interference with the production of bodily energy, alcohol greatly diminishes the efficiency of the individual.

7. The taking of alcohol in amounts that apparently do not harm the tissues is, nevertheless, liable to produce a habit which leads to its use in amounts that are decidedly harmful.

Alcohol and the Social Environment. - Our social environment includes the people with whom we are directly or indirectly associated. The presence in any community of those who are immoral, inefficient, or defective, places a burden upon those who are mentally and physically capable and renders them liable to results which are the outgrowth of weakness or viciousness. The fact that alcohol causes pauperism, crime, and general inefficiency, thereby rendering the social environment less conducive to what is best in life, is plainly evident. To realize how alcohol harms the individual through its effects upon society in general, one has only to take into account his dependence upon society for intellectual and moral stimuli, for industrial and economic opportunity, for protection, and for general conditions that make for health and happiness. As we strive to improve our physical environment, so should we also strive for the betterment of social conditions.

Industrial Use of Alcohol. - Interesting and instructive in this connection is the fact that alcohol is, after all, a substance capable of rendering great service to humanity. The injury which it causes is the result of its misuse. Though unfit for introduction into the human body, except in the most guarded manner, it is adapted to a great variety of uses outside of the body. A combustible substance which is readily convertible into a gas, it may be substituted for gasoline in the cooking of food, lighting of dwellings, and the running of machinery. As a solvent for gums, resins, essential oils, etc., it is used in the preparation of varnishes, extracts, perfumes, medicines, and numerous other substances of everyday use. Through its chemical interactions, it is used in the manufacture of ether, chloroform, explosives, celluloid, dyestuffs, and artificial silk. In fact, alcohol is stated by one authority to be, next to water, the most valuable liquid known.

Opposed to an extensive use of alcohol for industrial purposes is the guard which the government must keep over its manufacture on account of its use in beverages. Though alcohol may be profitably manufactured and sold at thirty cents per gallon, the government revenue stamp of $2.08 per gallon practically prohibits its use for many purposes. A step toward a wider application to industrial purposes has been taken by the law permitting the sale of so-called "denatured" alcohol without the tax for revenue. This law has proved beneficial to some extent, though the practical solution of the problem is still remote.

Nicotine and Social Custom. - The influences which brought about a general use of tobacco are similar to, though not identical with, those that engrafted alcohol upon society. The drug nicotine is a habit-forming substance and the plant producing it is easily cultivated. Its immediate effect upon the user is generally agreeable, acting as a stimulant to some, but having a soothing effect upon the nerves of others. Moreover, a strong deterring factor in its use is lacking, since its harmful effects are not readily discernible and by many are avoided through moderation in its use.

D.C. Heath and Co. - Publishers
Original copyright 1909