Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-03-01

principally from meInery, DO oeeMeo worthy OF
publication, it will, at least be gratifying to
A SOLDIER FROM WAsuISeroN County.
REMARKABLE PROPERTIES. OF SUGAR
CAME JUICE.
An article on the cure of consumption and
bronchial disease, by DR.. Cartwright, of New
Orleans has boen published in the Boston Medical
and Surgical Journal, in which he describes
cures effected on persons afflicted with consump-
tiOn and bronchitis, by inhaling The yapor aris-
ing from cane, e,juice, in the act d soiling. The.
information which be presents is sSsh curious
and useful. He says /.
g. The alchoholic liquor knownas rum, is OBJ
tained from sugar alone; the fcrment called
dunder, being an aromatic substance obtained
from the skimmings of boiling canejuice which
is necessary to assist in the decomposition of
the sugar in its metamorphosis into rum.
Arequin, French chemist, Of New Orleans,
whom Liebig, Dumas, and Gerhardt quote in
their works as the very highest authority in the
analysis of cane-juice, has discovered peculiar
principle in that liquor, which he calls cerosie.
He says it is an unique natural alcohol, and
presents the only instance known in nature of
an alchoholic substance being produced without
artificial agency The new and wonderful
science of optical chemistry proves that one of
the chief constituents of the liquor in the clar-
ifers, from which the fragrant saccharine vapor
arises, has the power to rotate the plane of
polarization of polarized light, l00o to the
right.
According to experiments of Carminati, the
essential salt of cane-juice destroys such cold
blooded animals as toads and lizards, wether ap-
piled externally Or given internally. There are
also many conflicting facts in regard to the vir-
tues of sugar-some proving that it brings
worms, causes scurvey, and injuries the teeth
others, that it destroys worms, cures scurvey
and whitens the teeth These facts are recon-
cilcd by tho discovery of the two kinds of sugar
the deatrogyrate and the lerogyrate | took
an alligator to the chemical labrtory, request
ing Mr.. Riddell to try if the respiration of car
bonic acid gas would kill it. After trying gas
upon it for good part of the day, it was
brought back as lively and vigorous as ever. 1t
was thought that owing to the size of the ami
NAL, the vessel it was put into might have con-
tanned small portion of atmospheric air.
then gave it some pure de1trogyrate sugar from
the plantation of P. M. Lattice; Esq., being
somo Of the same parcel which was made by
first process, and rotated 1909 sf-the, right.
Also solution of il was smeared jver his BODY,
This was in the evening The next morning
the alligator was found perfectly dead"
About this time Prof. Riddcll was busily
engaged in looking into new world, invisible
to the naked eye, through bis powerful micro
scope. The sediment taken from the cutters
was found to be alive with rotifera and various
other hideous-looking anmalcula. The most
numerous among them was speci IS of tho
Euchlan,s Leucophreys paula. They brskly
moved through an olgaid substance, called by the
Professor ociNdria. lie fed thcm with various
with the same rapacity that hungry, ravenous
beasts, in the visible world, devour their food
He fed them on human blood, which they COB
bled down with a keen relish. AT length
handed to the Professor stock of mature cane,
just cut from the field of sugar plantation
He squeezed some juice out of it, and put a
speck into the indus of these ravenois animals.
1t killed the whole Of them as quick as lightning
Young Reddell, u smart boy about IL years of
asc suggested to his father, the Professor, to
try to bring them to life by the same means that
no had brought others to life killed with cho-
roform. He tried, but could not bring them to
life. They were dead. Among them was q
nondescript animalcule resembling u tape-worm.
1t did not die instantly as the others did, but
all its joints came apart, and in few seconds
every JOINT was dead"
These results appear more like magic than
> sober facts. From witnessing such remarkable
; properties in sugar cane-juice, DR.. Cartwright
1 anticipated remarkable effects from its applca-
ViVi W ucuiOiliCs llO was uilLu Will CHltlu-
, siasm, and at once proceeded to the house of
: q patient-a young Frcnchman in New Orleans
who appeared to be dying with the consump-
! ton. He had him conveyed to sugar house
in very short time afterwards, where he soon
recovered by inhaling the vapoF'IT boiling cane
juice. This person is DR.. Chapellicr, when
his friends had given up as one ready to drop
: into the grave. 1t has long been observed by
J. overseers of sugar plantations that weakly and
sckly persons soon get robust and strong when
o set to skinlming the pans during the boiling oI
!, cane-juice; facts are overwhelming on this
d point From DR.. Cartwrights knowledge o
u this, and the peculiar effects of cane-juice il
II destroying cold-blooded animals he recommend
l. the inhaling of cane, juice yapor as cure fol
+ consumption in its early stages. His own ex
T, perience seems to be conclusive on this point
10 The fragrant cane-juice is perfectly respirable
N and penetrates into the smallest bronchial tubes
and produces beneficial effects.
4 +" The essential salt of cane-juice," he says
y " is technically called dentrogwate sugar, be
~ cause its solution rotates the plain of poariza
~ tion of polarized light to the right. No otbe
" saccharine matter than dextrogyrate, or vita
surgar, is contained in the cane plAt. Ate
40 the canes are cut unless the weather be extreme
OF ly cold, whether the juice be expressed or moi
70 70 chemical changes being almost Immediately
VI occur, as in the blood and flesh of slaughtere
~ animals, Instead of putrefaction, as in aes
10 and blood, fermentation takes place. and th
aa dextrogyrate begins to bo converted into leu,
gyrate sugar, which rotates to ths left. III
,th refner's art can convert it into glucose, an
ion ion make it assume the crystalline form, lookin