The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-22
HARM DUE TO ALCOHOL.
Authorizations In Liquor Are of Minor
Importance.
Chicago Evening Journal.

Chicago Evening Journal.
The question of the cause of deleterious
effects from the drinking of aleoholic liquors
in an address at the February meeting of
the society of Medical Jurisprudence of
popular fallacy that adulteration is what
causes the danger In their use, and that
ulant, was refuted by an analysis of various
liquors. Whatever injury or benefit is found
must be attributed to the alcohol itself.
The speaker also handled the question of to-
way, and with the same resulting conclu-
sions. In substance, the address, as it re-
lates to alcoholic drinks, is as follows:
1T is my purpose to consider the problems
surroundins the alcohol ard tobacco cues,
chemist, rather than that of either a tenn
perance reformer or advocate Of license. As
dar as a. the physiological eifects are con,
both sides--the medicinal and stimulating
value of alcohol on the one side, the sad
effects of overindulgence on the other.
The danger winch l apprehend is that
the public, always anxious to be advised in
nesses, are now being persuaded that there
are no deieterious effects from the use of
these articles are pure If the use of in
toxicating drinks is an evil to be combated,
the medical profession, as well as all tenn
peranca reformers. should never cease to
make it plain that the evil lies in the alco-
hol and not in the authorizations; that the
unfortunate votary should not deceive him
self with the idea that if he drinks some
particular brand or abstains from another
he can derive benefit, or at least escape in
jury. If he is injured at all he is injured
by the alcohol; If he is benefited at all he
is benefited by the alcohol.
The difference between all classes of al
coholic liquors is, as a matter of fact, very
slight, however they may differ in taste,
color, etc. They consist essentially of wa
ter and alcohol, with only from 2 to 7 per
cent: of all other ingredients. unless arti-
fcially SWeetened.
I'm wines the alcohol will vary from Z to
is per cent, the water so to 80 per cent,
and the solid residue and volatile scids from
l to 4 per cent. Th natural coloring in
gredient in no case exceeds i per cent,
the salts in solution two-tenths of i per
cent. There is nothing in natural wine
that is injurious, unless it be the alcohol.
THE constituents of brandy show: Alco-
hol from As to 60 per cent, water 81 to 48
per cent. solid matter l 70 ~ per cent,
mineral matter or ash .04 to 2 per cent,
acids Oh to 90 per cent, sugar % to A per
cent.
Rum and gin are also simply mixtures of
water and alcohol. obtained by fermenta-
other and from whisky and brandy only in
the proportions of these ingredients. and in
the natural or artificial f1avors impaired.
Many of these last harrow imagination,
such as oil of turpentine. recommended to
Juniper berries. cayenne pepper, etc, but
the analyses show in what infnitesimal
consequently how slight must be their eff
feet on the system as compared with the
alcohol.
Numerous recipes are given for initiating
genuine distilled spirits. One for making
Scotch whisky calls for the following:
Forty-six gallons of 95 per cent. alcohol, s
gallons real Scotch whisky, Is gallons water,
3 pounds honey, 5 drops creosote, 2 ounces
acetic acid. L gallon ale, / ounce pelargonic
ether.
"Pelargonic ether is a flavor made up of
Jamaica rum. vanilla essence, raisin juice,
with %caprylic, caproic and other organic
acids. This is probably the worst that can
as to the fusal oil, which is never present
in greater quantities than one part in 800.
Granting that wines have been found to
contain tumeric, glucose, borax, gum-kino.
and even arsenic, to say nothing of aniline
Poisonous to a ereater or less sd des snese . are Re
nevertheless true that they are so rarely
such Very small Quantity that a iniur ,ne from m
their presence must be exceedingly rare.
The editor Of a well-known weekly
paper, an earnest advocate of temperance
reform, retained my firm recently to col
lect samples of liquors and make analyses.
The samples were purchased at various
saloons and groceries from Harlem to fhe
Battery. The whiskys were found to he
unadulterated, the coloring matter and
f1avoring being caramels and raisins. Twen-
ty-four samples of brandy contained M
fusel oil and no coloring matter except car
anel. Zinc, lead and copper We're present
In minute quantities as they would be in
soda water led through pipes. The sherry
and no logwood or other poisonous coloring
matter. Burnt sugar and cochineal were
the only artificial colors. As a general thing
the cheapest liquors were the least iniIlri,
Gus, as they contained, from their dilution,
the l6aSI dIcOn0l.
AS to beer, chemists of erma have
found in beer all sorts of substances. harm
less or otherwise, but the chief of these NAV
be considered harmless, viz, burnt sugar
licorice, molasses. quassia, coriander seed
glycerine and glucose. The harmful in,
gradients are only relatively so. saiicylic
acid being the chief of these. The reporfs
of government experts are all against the
prevalence of poisonous adulteration Of
beer.
II trust that the society does not concIuda
that l am asserting that there are never
ma rp7fJ1I CI1kGtQ nnnS in ngtf. arAh1f;- t-.-
/ simply take the ground that as Gonna rad
with the alcohol their injurious effect is
absolutely insignificant. l will conclude
this part of my paper by stating some COM
parative figures showing the difference be-
tween wines, beers and distilled Iiouors in
composition, emphasizing once more how
slight it is:
Alcohol by Water Other
weight per ingred-
per cent. cent. tents.
Rhine wine ...........g IS 2
Claret ............--.E % g
Whisky .........-....S ca 2
Brandy ..............O AS 2
Beer ..-.........s.-.- VI 6