ABSTRACT
The lowered resistance to the invasion of disease and the accompanying lessened ability to recover from a disease are the result of the chronic poisoning of all the tissues of the body. Alcohol is the chief cause of the common form of one important liver disease, hardening or “cirrhosis,” of the liver. Habitual drinking is one of the important causes of chronic gastritis, a very common chronic stomach trouble. Errors in diet and careless habits of eating are probably more important causes. Heavy drinkers suffer from nervous diseases which are the results of the direct action of alcohol on the sensitive nerve tissues. Some become epileptic, some insane, while others show a slow dementia. The percentage of deaths in pneumonia, for instance, is much higher among alcoholics than non-alcoholics.
