Von Helmholtz, one of the greatest observers and thinkers of the nineteenth century, noted on himself the effect of alcohol in interfering with the highest powers of thought and conception. Describing the conditions under which his highest scientific thoughts had matured and come to fruition, he said: “As far as my experience is concerned, they never come to a wearied brain or at the writing-desk; they were especially inclined to appear to me while indulging in a quiet walk in the sunshine or over the forest-clad mountains, _but the smallest quantity of alcohol seemed to drive them away_.” Professor Sikovsky’s testimony is that “alcohol diminishes the rapidity of thought, makes the imagination and the power of reflection commonplace and deprived of originality, acts upon fine and complex sensations by transforming them into coarse and elementary ones, provokes outbursts of evil passions and dispositions, and in this predisposes men to strife and crime, and upsets habits of work and perseverance.” Self-control is one of the highest functions of the brain, and the racial power which results to a people as a consequence of the individual practice of self-control cannot be too highly estimated. Therefore, children are trained as far as possible to control their emotions and actions. Alcohol diminishes and breaks down this power of acquired self-control, undoing the work of parents and educationalists. Quite small doses are often responsible for reckless and self-pleasing actions, which are far reaching in their results in loss of moral tone and self-respect. The ideals of duty are lost sight of, and, at best, leave the individual in a laissez-faire attitude. Among the depressant effects of alcohol are intellectual lethargy and a sense of fatigue, which, combined with the other factors, lessen the capacity for genuine enjoyment and pleasure. FOOTNOTES: [4] Compiled from Tibbles’ “Dietetics, or Food in Health and Disease.” CHAPTER V THE RESPIRATORY AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS: THE KIDNEYS The Mechanics of Circulation and Respiration; the Circulatory Apparatus; the Lungs; Hygiene of the Lungs and Its Relation to the General Health; Relation of Respiration to Body Heat; the Respiratory Functions of the Abdominal Muscles; the Importance of Good Chest Development; Proper Relation Between the Height, Weight, and Chest Measurements; Chemical Properties of Air; Town and Country Air; Dust and Its Relations to Disease; Rôle Played by Bacteria; Ventilation; the Injurious Effects of Overheated Air; the Proper Degree of Moisture for the Air of the House; Ventilation of Bed-rooms. Care of the Nose, Throat, and Ears; Impediments to Respiration; Ventilation of the Lungs and Breathing Exercises; Cure of Chronic Bronchitis by Deep Breathing Exercises; Relation of Colds to Pneumonia and Tuberculosis, and Their Prevention. The Kidneys and Their Function; the Physiology of the Female Pelvic Organs.