, 1876-05-17

islands were entirely unacquainted with the
sugar cane. [l0l.
spontaneously with the rapid extension of
the culture Of the cane at the beginning of the
sixteenth century, occurred a oorrespon-
ding increase in the consumption of sugar,
which was, even at this period, looked upon in
the light OF q luxury, obtainable only by the
rich. In 1859 Margaret Pastor, writing to
Der husband, a gentleman of Norfolk, begs
that he " vouchSafe' to buy her a pound Of
sugar. Then we find the item of sugar occur.
ring more and more frequently in the accounts
OF the household expenses of the nobility and
gentry and of guilds and corporate bodies until
increasing the indulgence in the luxury compell-
ed notice from travellers and historians of the
time. Hentzner, a German who visited Eng
land in 1898, describing Queen Elizabeth
then 10 her 66th year, writes " her nose is a
little hooked, her lips narrow, and her teeth
black a defect the English seem subject to
from their too great use Of sugar" About
this period sugar again attracted the attention
OF learned men who, it would almost appear,
had conspired TO give it bad name. Angelus
Sala 10 his SaccharoJosla 1887 maintains
that its excessive use tends to destroy the
appetite and digestion, to cause carries and
l%oosening OF the teeth, foul breath, collie and
dIarrh@a, besides bilious, sc0rbutic, historical.
and otter complaints verify a formidable
list were it only true. But subsequent writer's
were not to be outdOne. Garanci6res accused
1t of causing consumption of the lungs, and
maintained that since bitter substances pre-.
serve from putrefaction sweet ones must favor
this change. Willis attributed the increase Of
sourvy to the excessive use of sugar. Ray
subscribed to almost everything that had
been said against it, and added that it was
very hurttul 20 the teeth, and not only render
ed them black but caused them to decay and
loosen in their sockets and fall out. Finally
Geohroy could not refrain from adding his
quota and, while repeating the last objection,
asserted that it also generated worms and
created fatulence and bile.
Alter all this abuse it is but fair that sugar
should have a word said in its favor the
more especially as, In spite Of everything, its
consumption has gone on increasing to the
present day. Good old DR., Butler, instead If
contenting himself with quoting the opinions Of
the a%nclents, or repeating the INFESTED senti-
ments OF Guaranci6fe and his followers, made
careful trial OF the effects of sugar upon himself
and his patients, and arrived singularly near
q just estimation Of It's value. He happily
enquiries -
III sugar can preserve both pears and plums.
why can 1t not as well preserve our lungs a.
AS an article Of food sugar is now held to act
the part of a respiratory element, presenting
itself to the inspired oxygen as a substitute for
the tissues themselves, and thus limiting the
waste of the body while it s~ustains the animal
heat" H. But it is even yet the general
belief that sugar Injuries the teeth. "This has
long been known as q prudent old woman's
bng.bear, to frighten children, that they might
not follow their natural inclinations by Selling
opportunities, when they are not watched, of
0eVonrlng all the sugar they can find" TI2l
Plenk, the German chemist, however, kept a
sound tooth for two months in syrup and water
at the end Of which time it remained complete
" unaltered. Mantegazza, also, made a series
OF careful experiments which showed that ex-
cept in q state Of aoetous fermentation, sugar
was not detrimental to the teeth 1897. II is
now admitted that if sugar has any deleterious
action upon the teeth, it is merely mechanical,
arising from the hardness of the angles of the
and although of little utility for it's
effects. sugar is now considered one
OF the most useful adjuVants to other medicines
its varied applications in the industrial
are too numerous to mention.
From the foregoing sketch Tbrief and incom.
plete as it is of the introduction Of the sugar
cane into different parts of the world. it will
seen that, originally indigenous to the East,
1t followed the gradual march of civilization
westward and that sugar, in common with
many modern articles of luxury, came first
the apothecaries' hands to be an essen.
tial requisite of our daily food. Its use as an
aliment would appear TO have been first dis.
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