body of a living dog, has afterwards been procured absolutely as alcohol
by distillation from the substance of the brain. It is so subtile a
fluid that Liebig says it permeates every tissue of the body."

"But how do you explain the circumstance that death sometimes happens
suddenly after drinking spirits," asked the host, "before there can be
time for absorption to take place?"

"I remember, not many years ago," interrupted the merry-faced guest, "a
water-man, in attendance at the cab-stand at the top of the Haymarket,
for a bribe of five shillings, tossed off a bottle of gin, upon which he
dropped down insensible, and soon died."

"This may clearly be accounted for," observed the Doctor. "The stomach,
as I premised, is plentifully supplied with nerves, and is connected
with one of the great nervous centres in the body, so that a sudden
impression produced upon these nerves, by the introduction of a quantity
of such stimulus, gives a shock to the whole nervous system, which
completely overpowers it. From the centre to the circumference it acts
like a stroke of lightning, and the death is often instantaneous. A
draught of iced water taken when the system has been overheated by
exertion, by dancing or otherwise, has been known to be immediately
fatal. The physiological action--or rather the 'shock' upon the nervous
system, is in both cases the same--violent mental emotion will in like
manner suspend the action of the heart and produce instant death. These
are the terrors of alcohol, when drank to excess; but the health of the
habitual tippler is sure to be undermined; his hands become tremulous,
he is unsteady in his gait, his complexion becomes sallow, and all his
mental faculties gradually impaired."

"To what, may I ask," inquired the merry-faced guest, "do you attribute
the circumstance of the trembling hand recovering its steadiness, after
taking a glass of spirits in the morning after a debauch; 'hair of the
dog,' as it is called, 'that bit overnight?'"

"Action and reaction is the great law of the animal economy," replied
the Doctor; "over stimulation will always produce a corresponding degree
of depression; when, therefore, the nervous system has been over-excited
by alcoholic liquors, the usual amount of nervous energy which is
necessary to give tone to the muscular system is wanting, and then a
stimulus gives a fillip to the nervous centres, which restores the
nervous powers to the extremities. When this