microscopic observers of the blood* how speedily elements of diet, medicinal substances, and poisons, pass into the liquor sanguinis, and how the corpuscles of the blood become affected by these various agents. By experimenting on the blood with sherry wine, or diluted alcohol, the discs become altered in shape, and throw out matter from the interior; minute molecular particles also fringe the circumference. Some of these molecules separate from the blood discs and swim about in the fluid; others elongate into tails, which wave about in a tremulous and very remarkable manner. (See figure 2.) There can be no doubt that when the liquor sanguinis becomes surcharged with alcohol, either by imbibition of small quantities daily, or of a large quantity suddenly, the blood corpuscles not only become affected, but the liquor sanguinis itself also suffers deterioration. An unwholesome or deficient diet gives rise to many blood diseases, such as gout, scurvy, fever, diarrhoea, &c.; and, indeed, it would be strange if substances taken as food did not impart their qualities to the fluid of the blood, and also to the corpuscles. The day after a debauch, the parched tongue, the nausea, the shivering and feverish symptoms invariably experienced, testify, that not only has the blood become poisoned or deteriorated in quality, but that it has circulated such poison to every organ of the body. Professor Schultz truly states, 'that alcohol stimulates the blood discs to an increased and unnatural contraction, which hurries them on to the last stage of development, that is, induces their premature decay and death. The colouring matter is dissolved out of them, and the pale discs lose all their vitality, whence less oxygen can be absorbed and less carbon carried out.'+ It is not difficult to recognize the pale anæmic condition of the * Our friend, Dr. Henry Monroe, F.L.S., of Hull, in a recent lecture has given some interesting illustrations, which we are permitted to copy. Figure 1 shows blood corpuscles. Some with darkened centres, owing to the focal point at which they are seen; others in rolls indicative of slight inflammatory action (250 diameters). 2. Blood corpuscles altered from their natural shape by the action of sherry wine or diluted alcohol (250 diameters). 3. Striated appearance of muscular fibre separating into fibrilla (250 diameters). 4. Structure of ultimate fibrilla of striated muscular fibre, as seen under a higher magnifying power, showing how it contracts under galvanic influence (of nerves or art). 5. Fatty degeneration of the muscular fasciculi of the heart. The striated appearance nearly obliterated and composed of oil globules (400 diameters). 6. Fatty degeneration of muscular fibre far advanced, and wholly composed of minute molecules. The transverse striæ wholly obliterated, and fat cells of various sizes running between, and attached to the fasciculi. daily spirit drinker. The experiments of Dr. Böcker on the blood, with spirits, wine, and beer, the results attested by the microscope, and the researches of Dr. Virchow, all concur to prove that alcohol poisons the blood, and arrests the development, as well as hastens the decay, of the red globules.* Dr. Böcker noticed the alterations undergone by the blood of habitual alcohol drinkers as yet in good health-viz., a partial loss of power to become red by exposure to the air, in consequence of the loss of vitality in a portion of the blood discs. This loss of vitality manifests itself by the formation of black specks (oil) in the discs, and then by their conversion into round pale globules, which in all cases of disease (or of diminished vitality) are found in excess in the blood. This devitalized condition of the nutritive fluid is probably the first step to the devitalization of the tissue which it feeds. Fatty degeneration is another disease to which reference is now frequently made in medical literature. A very frequent cause of this disease is the habitual presence of alcohol in the circulating medium. There is no kind of tissue, whether healthy or morbid, that may not undergo fatty degeneration; and there is no organic disease so troublesome to the medical man, or so difficult of cure. It is a fact that the fibroalbuminous substance called flesh, under certain circumstances, undergoes a transformation into fat. In involuntary muscle this degeneration begins with the transverse striæ, and more especially at the circumference of the fasciculus. As this extends inwards, minute molecules of fat take the place of the striæ, and at length obliterate them, so that at last the normal structure of the muscle entirely disappears. When cut into with the knife, a greasy stain is left upon the blade. The heart, when affected with fatty degeneration, which is often the case with persons addicted to spirit drinking, loses the firm muscular appearance which characterizes it in health, and presents a pale, yellowish buff colour, sometimes extending throughout, at others limited to individual parts. To show the frequency of this peculiar disease, Dr. Ogle says that in 143 post mortems he found 100 persons whose hearts were thus affected, and that in each case a microscopic examination of this organ was made. Dr. King Chambers truly says, that the most active renewal of the body possible is health-the cessation of renewal is death-the arrest of renewal is disease.' Now, as the direct action of alcohol is to arrest the renewal, how can a medical man wisely recommend as a vital tonic, that alcohol which has the property of arrest * See Works of Dr. Lees,' vol. i. (1854). ing Alcohol in the Tissues. 145 ing the metamorphosis of tissue? Again, says the same high authority, in death decomposition goes on to its end, there is no renewal of the organism, and the living form disappears. In disease decomposition goes on, but there is an arrest of renewal; and the decayed tissues are not thrown off by the newly-formed substance they become degeneratenot regenerate-a kind of death in life.' If by the aid of the miscroscope we examine a very fine section of muscle taken from a person in good health, whose flesh is firm, elastic, and of a bright red colour, we find it made up of parallel fibres, with beautiful crossings or striæ; but if we examine the muscle of a man who leads an idle, sedentary life, and is accustomed to the use of intoxicating drinks, we shall detect at once the pale, flabby, inelastic, oily appearance which is seen in the examination of the heart so diseased. Alcoholic narcotization appears to produce this peculiar condition of the tissues more than any other agent with which we are acquainted. Three-quarters of the chronic illnesses,' says Dr. Chambers, are occasioned by this disease.' The eminent French analytical chemist, Lecanu, found as much as 119 parts of fat in 1,000 parts of a drunkard's blood -the highest estimate of the quantity in health being 8 parts, while the ordinary amount is not more than two or three parts; so that the blood of the drunkard contains forty times in excess of the ordinary quantity. Must there not be an intermediate condition of every degree between? Take, as an instance, a very suddenly fatal case of this disease which occurred to Dr. Monroe not long ago, and which, he states, is only one of a like character with half a dozen more which he has witnessed during the last few years. A person of middle age, rather stout, of exceedingly quiet habits, never appearing to be in a hurry about his business or anything else; inactive, taking only moderate exercise, never seen walking fast or exerting himself; but who had contracted the bad habit of drinking a glass of whisky two or three times a day, though never seen drunk or appearing in the least excited. He was the picture of good health, having had scarcely a day's illness in his whole life. Latterly he sometimes complained of a fulness at the chest and slight beating of the heart. One day, after having partaken of his dinner, a glass of ale and his pipe, as usual, he rose up to go to bis business, but suddenly dropped down on the floor and died immediately. On making the post mortem examination, the brain, to all appearance, was healthy; so were the heart, lungs, liver, and other viscera of the body. The man had died, apparently, without the slightest indication of organic disease or any serious |