The =powers of Metabolism= are diminished. Corpulence is, consequently, a common result of alcoholism. There may also be fatty deposit in the internal organs, such as the heart. This must not, however, be confounded with a much more serious condition, fatty _degeneration_ of the heart, in which the substance of the muscular fibres becomes partially converted into fat, and which also is sometimes due to alcoholism. The =Nervous System= is more prone to suffer in chronic alcoholism than any other part of the body, except perhaps the liver. The first effect of a large dose of alcohol is to stimulate the nervous system, as already described. This is followed by a dulling of the nervous faculties, which comes on rapidly in proportion to the amount taken. The phenomena of _intoxication_ are unhappily too familiar to require description, mental incoherence and muscular incoordination (lack of control over the muscles) being the most prominent features. When the dose of alcohol is still larger, a condition of profound unconsciousness is produced (_coma_), which may be difficult to distinguish from other forms of unconsciousness. =Delirium Tremens= is another nervous condition, which may rarely follow a single debauch, but much more commonly affects the chronic toper. In some cases the immediate exciting cause is a mental shock, or lack of food, or a surgical injury. Alcoholic subjects suffering from any acute disease are liable to this form of delirium, and their chance of recovery is greatly diminished. =Insanity= of a more prolonged character than that characterising delirium tremens is an occasional result of alcoholism. Besides the nervous diseases already named, a chronic thickening of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, gradually progressing and finally fatal, is often the consequence of prolonged alcoholic indulgence. =Various Degenerative Diseases= are produced by alcohol. It has been well called by Dickinson the very “genius of degeneration.” Such degenerations are by no means confined to the intemperate; they are seen in those who are of what would usually be considered moderate habits. The stomach, liver, lungs, and probably the kidneys, are the main organs to suffer in this way. It is probable that the effect on the kidneys only occurs when a gouty condition is developed. In all these cases there is an overgrowth of fibrous tissue, with atrophy of the proper gland structures. =Gout= is the common nemesis of those indulging in alcoholic beverages, more especially wine and beer, due to the excessive formation or retention of urate of soda in the body. This produces inflammation of the joints, and other evils—among them the gouty kidney, named above, which is always ultimately fatal. Rigid arteries are likewise commonly due to alcoholism and gout. If one of these bursts in the brain, apoplexy results.