The Press., 1888-05-17

and sugar, are about as dissimilaf as one can imagine, and yet one is the derivation of the other. This intimate relationship of the two substances may account for the fact that ladies are generally fond of sugar, while men frequently manifest prefer. ence for it after it has been operated upon by the sdcchdroa1yoes cere0isidc. The yeast-plant splits the sugar into alcohol and the gas which is formed during the combustion of carbon, and is exhaled from the lungs with every breath, viz., carbonic acid. It is the escaping gas that Causes the effervescence in fermenting fluids. The word fermentation is derived from the Latin .ferVere, to boil, and was first applied to the process that it designates, on account of this effervescence due to carbonic acid.
 That the gas escaping from fermenting liquors is something different from ordi- nary air, can be shown in variety of ways. If the gas is made to bubble thro lime water, the lime-water becomes milky, because the carbonic acid unites with the lime and forms chalk or carbonate of lime. If we thrust a lighted splinter of wood through the bung-hole of a barrel half-full of fermenting wine or cider, the light will be extinguished, for the gas will not sup. port combustion.
 J fluid constituents of the yeast, what re- mains has no longer the power of exciting fermentation. If you keep the yeast.plant out of a solution of sugar, the solution will never ferment. This has been abund- antly proven by many experiments. Cases of so-called spontaneous fermentation are not spontaneous. When grape. juice fer ments spontaneously, it is because the yeast-plant has gotten into it from the air. Indeed, it is a hard matter to wholly ex. clude these ferments, and protect ferment- able solutions from their action. The temperature of boiling water destroys the yeast plant. By boiling fruit-iuice and wholly excluding the external air, it can be kept sweet for centuries.
 The fermentation of alcohol from sugar by the yeast-plant is only one among many different processes that bear the name of fermentation. There are many different kinds of fermentation, which are excited by various low forms of vegetable life. Many of these processes are those that are most familiar to us The conversion of alcohol into hectic acid or vinegar, the souring of milk, the putrefaction of animal and vegetable matters are all examples of various kinds of fermentation.
 And here l am tempted to wander of in one of the by-paths leading from my sub. lect, which l mentioned at the beginning of my lecture. l should like to show you that the discovery of the cause of alcoholic | fermentation was one of vast importance, and prolific in great results. That the study of bacteria and disease germs, which is now exciting 80 much attention among scientists, is an outgrowth of the study of yeast A hundred years hence, the hardest hearted teetotaler and the most rabid pro hibltionist will forgive the yeast-plant for the havoc that it has wrought in the world, when he views the splendid triumphs of hygiene and medicine due to the kuowl- edge of fermentation and bacteriology, which began with the lessons taught to us by yeast.
 Time will not permit me to treat of this phase of my subject. It would require n series of lectures to adequately present it to you. I must hasten on to the discus sion of question more closely connected with my original purpose, viz, what is the effect of alcohol upon the human body, in health and in disease?
 And, right here, to avoid misunderstand ing, I wish to say that am a firm believer in temperance, but am also firm believer in the desirability of telling the truth. Tell the truth, though the heavens fall is good motto. No good cause was ever yet, or ever will be, permanently aided by the employment of falsehood. This is true of the temperance cause for ii is a good cause-a great and glorious cause, and one that should claim the adherence of every right.minded person in the world. But un. truth is boomerang that is likely to hit the person that throws it. Most of us have had the opportunity of listening to temper ance lecturers who have expatisted at some length upon the physiological effect of al- cohol. I have never yet been able to see how the cause of temperance is to be great ly facilitated by the discussion of this side of the question. It is of great scientific in. terest to ascertain what the effect of the in. troduction of alcohol into the system is, butt temperance question, in itsessence, is great moral question. Whether alcohol be, or be not a food, does not affect the culpability of John Smith in getting drunk and insulting a lady upon the street. It is a matter of taste whether a temperance lecturer shall dwell upon the physiological effects of alcohol, but it ceases to be mat ter of taste, and becomes a matter of right and wrong when he distorts facts and states untruths. He then offends against science and weakeus his own cause doubt if many temperance advocates would do this willingly, but know that many do do this. Their sins are those of ignorauca, but none the less to be deplored. It is always dangerous to meddle with things with which we are not familiar. It is per. ilous to speak with authority upon sub iects about which we are not conversant, when we have to gain all our information secondhand. This is particularly true of everything pertaining to medicine. When doctors disagree, who shall decide The doctors if they can, but certainly not the laity. No matter how distinguished, how wise, how gifted man may be, his opiu. ion about something about which he knows nothing is worth nothing and this applies to those who would speak upon the physiology of alcohol without practical knowledge of physiology. As stated at the commencement of the lecture, it is my desire to treat my subject principally from scientific standpoint it therefore falls within the scope of my design to treat upon the action of alcohol upon the body. Some thing is known of this action, q good deal is surmised, aud much remains 10 be found out. Alcohol is, without doubt, q poison, 1t is likewise, very probably, food. IL will be we'll for me to state what the scien- tiic conception of poison is, and what is meant by the term food.
 From a scientific standpoint, poison is a substance, which when introduced into fha haIv pradnraa Iisturbanaa af