Monthly Archives: April 2014
221.WHY DOES ALCOHOL CAUSE DRUNKENNESS?
Alcohol is present in our body at all times. After every meal we eat, the carbohydrates, starch and sugar, form alcohol and enter the bloodstream. So there is always about a gram of alcohol circulating in our body.
But what happens if we take in additional alcohol? Alcohol is a narcotic, which is how we describe a substance which enters the nerve cells quickly and tends to paralyze them. But before any narcotic paralyzes, it stimulates nerve cells, putting them in a state of excitement. So alcohol first acts as a stimulant. And in order for alcohol to continue to act as a stimulant rather than as a narcotic, it must be taken into the body in weak solutions.
220.WHY DO WE NEED VITAMIN C?
The food we take into our bodies supplies us with many important substances such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, and mineral substances. But these alone are not enough. In order to maintain life we need still other substances known as vitamins.
Vitamins are substances formed by plants or animals. They must be supplied to the body in minute quantities so that vital processes can continue undisturbed. When there is a lack of vitamins in our body, diseases will occur. For instance, lack of vitamin A affects our vision; lack of vitamin B produces a disease called beriberi, and so on.
219.WHY DO WE HAVE TWO NERVOUS SYSTEMS?
The human nervous system is like a network of wires that lead from the brain, establishing contact with every portion of the body The brain is the center of this system. From the brain, orders go forth over the nerve wires and make us move, laugh, eat, and otherwise behave like human beings.
The nerves also serve the brain as messengers. Through a special part of the nervous system, the brain is informed of everything that happens to the body. The main line of communication connecting brain and body is the spinal cord. It is enclosed within the backbone. The spinal cord is really a grouping together of the nerve trunks, similar to the grouping together of wires to form a cable.
