HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS THE BRAIN.

I once had the weird, although sad, chance of observant constant development within the brain structure of a person, who, in an exceedingly fit of alcoholic excitement, headless himself beneath the wheel of a railway carriage, and whose brain was outright evolved from the bone by the crash. The brain itself, entire, was before ME among 3 minutes when the death. It exhaled the odor of spirit most clearly, and its membranes and minute structures were tube-shaped structure within the extreme. It looked as if it had been recently injected with vermilion. The substantia alba of the neural structure, adorned with red points, might scarcely be distinguished, once it had been incised, by its natural whiteness; and also the pia-mater, or internal tube-shaped structure membrane covering the brain, resembled a fragile internet of coagulated red blood, therefore tensely were its fine vessels full. I ought to add that this condition extended through each the larger and also the smaller brain, the neural structure and neural structure, however wasn't therefore marked within the medulla or commencing portion of the neural structure. The neural structure and nerves. -------------------------- The action of alcohol continued on the far side the primary stage, the operate of the neural structure is influenced. Through this a part of the system we have a tendency to area unit accustomed, in health, to perform automatic acts of a mechanical kind, that proceed consistently even once we area unit thinking or speaking on different subjects. so a talented working man can continue his mechanical work dead, whereas his mind is dead set another subject; and so we have a tendency to all perform varied acts in an exceedingly strictly automatic manner, while not vocation within the aid of the upper centres, except one thing quite normal happens to demand their service, upon that we predict before we have a tendency to perform. beneath alcohol, because the spinal centres become influenced, these pure automatic acts stop to be properly carried on. That the hand might reach any object, or the foot be properly planted, the upper intellectual centre should be invoked to form the continuing secure. There follows quickly upon this a deficient power of co-ordination of muscular movement. The nervous management of bound of the muscles is lost, and also the nervous stimulant is additional or less unhealthy. The muscles of the lower lip within the human subject sometimes fail initial of all, then the muscles of the lower limbs, and it's warrant remark that the extensor muscle muscles slip prior to the flexors. The muscles themselves, by this point, also are failing in power; they respond additional feebly than is natural to the nervous stimulus; they, too, area unit returning beneath the depressing influence of the paralyzing agent, their structure is briefly crazed, and their contracted power reduced. This modification of the animal functions beneath alcohol, marks the second degree of its action. In young subjects, there's currently, usually, physiological reaction with faintness, followed by gradual relief from the burden of the poison. Effect on the brain centres. ---------------------------- The alcoholic spirit carried nonetheless an extra degree, the cerebral or brain centres become influenced; they're reduced in power, and also the dominant influences of can and of judgment area unit lost. As these centres area unit unbalanced and thrown into chaos, the rational a part of the character of the person offers manner before the emotional, passional or organic half. the rationale is currently off duty, or is casual with duty, and every one the mere natural tendencies and sentiments area unit set atrociously blank. The coward shows up additional craven, the braggart additional crowing, the cruel additional merciless , the untruthful additional false, the carnal additional degraded. ' In wine veritas ' expresses, even, indeed, to physiological accuracy, actuality condition. The reason, the emotions, the instincts, area unit dead a state of carnival, and in chaotic feebleness. Finally, the action of the alcohol still extending, the superior brain centres area unit overpowered; the senses area unit beclouded, the voluntary muscular prostration is formed, sensibility is lost, and also the body lies a mere log, dead by near quarter, on that alone its life hangs. the center still remains faithful its duty, and whereas it simply lives it feeds the respiration power. so the circulation and also the respiration, within the otherwise inert mass, keeps the mass among the blank domain of life till the poison begins to depart this world and also the nervous centres to revive once more. it's happy for the inebriate that, as a rule, the brain fails ciao before the center that he has neither the ability nor the sense to continue his method of destruction up to the act of death of his circulation. thus he lives to die another day.