Such, then, are the main physiological effects of alcohol taken in sufficient quantity and with sufficient frequency to cause chronic alcoholism. Let us turn now to the effects produced when these conditions are not fulfilled - by far the more usual case. What are the results when the quantity imbibed, whether large or small, is essentially an isolated quantity, not repeated at such short intervals, or over so long a period, as to cause an act to merge into a more or less continuous habit ?

The answer to this question involves consideration of the mental effects, the influence on muscular work, and the results produced by alcohol on the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems. These will now be reviewed in the order given.