ulgence was now no longer the pastime of the few, but the privilege of
all. Its evil effects followed as a matter of course; and as these became
more and more apparent, there began the struggle to restrict the
consumption of alcohol which has continued with varying success to the
present time.

*Counts against Alcohol.*--The statements found in different parts of this
book relative to the effects of alcohol upon the body may here be
summarized as follows:--

1. Alcohol has an injurious effect upon the white corpuscles of the blood
and lessens the power of the body to resist attacks of disease (pages 35,
98).

2. Alcohol injures the heart and the blood vessels (page 56).

3. Alcohol causes diseases of the liver and kidneys and interferes with
the discharge of waste through these organs (pages 210, 212).

4. Alcohol interferes seriously with the regulation of the body
temperature (page 271).

5. Alcohol is one of the worst enemies to the nervous system (pages 326,
332-334. 336, 337).

6. Through its effect upon the nervous system and through its interference
with the production of bodily energy (page 195), alcohol greatly
diminishes the efficiency of the individual.

7. The taking of alcohol in amounts that apparently do not harm the
tissues is, nevertheless, liable to produce a habit which leads to its use
in amounts that are decidedly harmful.

*Alcohol and the Social Environment.*--Our social environment includes the
people with whom we are directly or indirectly associated. The presence in
any community of those who are immoral, inefficient, or defective, places
a burden upon those who are mentally and physically capable and renders
them liable to results which are the outgrowth of weakness or viciousness.
The fact that alcohol causes pauperism, crime, and general inefficiency,
thereby rendering the social environment less conducive to what is best in
life, is plainly evident. To realize how alcohol harms the individual
through its effects upon society in general, one has only to take into
account his dependence upon society for intellectual and moral stimuli,
for industrial and economic opportunity, for protection, and for general
conditions that make for health and happiness. As we strive to improve our
physical environment, so should we also strive for the betterment of
social conditions.

*Industrial Use of Alcohol.*--Interesting and instructive in this
connection is the fact that alcohol is, after all