The record-union., 1897-06-16
ALCOHOLIC ADULTERATl0NS.
Some Of the Various DeeoctiOnS and Their
Effects on Man.
An Article That Should be of Inter-
est to Persons Who
Triple.

AIPpACs
| Eds. Record Union: The name cal
cohoP' was originally used to designate
the liquid obtained by distillation from
pure fermented wine The alcohol of
| wine. But as investigations in chemis-
| try have advanced the name has been
applied to a large class of chemical
compounds strongly resembling in their
! chemical composition and their effects
on the human subject the alcohol of
Wine In chemistry the alcohol of wine
is known as ethelc alcohol and is the
representative of this class of COM
pounds.
| There is a great variety of alcohols,
ranging from the light, fluid methilic al
cohol (wood spirit, or alcohol distilled
from wood to the heavy white crystal
line myricylic alcohol obtained from
beeswax by saponification; thirteen in
ALL Myricylic alcohol has never been
! dissolved and drank as an agent of in
| tox1cation. Nearly all of the others
have been employed to produce drunk
! enneSs. When vaporiZed and inhaled
the methylic (wood spirit alcohol is the
| least poisonous but when swallowed
as drink the ethylic (alcohol of wine) is
less poisonous than any other of the
potable members of the alcohol family.
| There are four alcohols that are pro-
duced by alcoholic fermentation. Ar
| ranged according to weight or density
and too according to their degrees of
| poiSonousneSS when drank, they are
ethylic alcohol (alcohol of wine), propy-
lie alcohol, butylic alcohol and amylic
alcohol (fusel OLD. BY the term alcohol
of wine is meant simply pure ethylic alco-
| hol, no matter from what source de-
rived. 1t may be distilled and rectified
from any substance that has undergone
alcoholic fermentation.
| The other three alcohols of this group
are also always found in greater or less
quantities, according to the fermentable
substance used. Propylic and butilic
| alcohols are produced in much less
quantities than is the amylic alcohol.
| While ethylic alcohol is produced in
vastly larger amounts than the other
| three. The three last named are found
| mixed together in that oily liquid that
| remains at the bottom of the still after
| the distillation of ethylic alcohol. This
| liquid is known as crude or unrectified
| fusel oil. Ethylic alcohol, as we have
said, is less poisonous when taken as a
| beverage than any of the alcohOls of
| fermentation. The propylic and butylic
come next and the amylic is more pois-
onous than any of them, being about
! four times more poisonous than ethylic
alcohol.
Liquors distilled from various fer
| mentable agents differ greatly in their
degrees of Intoxicating or poisoning
power. This is due to the difference in
amount of crude fusel oil that they con-
| tain. Thus brandy, which is the alco-
| hol of wine, is least poisonous. More
| poisonous are the alcohols of beet root.
Still more deadly are the alcohols of
| corn; and most potent and pestiferous
are the alcohols of potatoes. Fusel oil
! is used for many purposes in the arts
and is usually made from potatoes,
often being designated potato oil, or POI
| tato spirit. 1t is also used in the manu-
| facture of Fictitious or fraudulent mix
| lures that are made to initiate all kinds
of alcoholic beverages. Its use in this
thriving industry is great saving to
the mixer. By using even a small
very considerable amount of ethylic al
cobol and still have his mixture produce
profound drunkenness without unneces-
| sary delay.
In very dilute solution amylic alcohol
| produces the rapid intoxication, severe
| headache and vertigo which are promi-
nent effects of inferior liquors, especially
bad whisky In addition to it's rapidly
| intoxicating effect it adds a rich, smooth
fruity taste to alcoholic mixtures. When
| inhaled in form of vapor it produces Sc
we're headache, a sense of suffocations
| vertigo, and in large doses death.
! Amylic alcohol is an active irritant mar
cotic, anesthetic poison. 1t differs
| from the other alcohols of fermentation
! only in degree. It's effects are more
pronounced and decided. When i'm
bibed in poisonous doses it produces
muscular relaxation with violent par
oxysms of convulsive trembling. The
general symptoms are a cold, moist
skin, fall of the temperature of the body,
headache, giddiness, double vision,
staggering, unconciousness, muscular
rigidity, followed by complete relaxa-
I ton, livid color of lips and face and a
I
| breath
| In this condition if the heart is over
whelmed by the poison and ceases to
| act, the case is reported as death from
heart failure" which seems to be a
very common occurrence nowadays.
Alcoholic fermentation as we have
seen creates four alcohoIs; three of
which must be separated or destroyed
! if we would have a pure-or the least
poisonous-alcoholic liquor. These alco-
| hols constitute what is known as crude
| fusel oil which is oftener present, more
| poisonous, more pernicious and deadly
| in it's effects upon the human system
| than any other or all other impurities
| or authorizations of alcoholic beverages.
GEORGE w. COREY, NJ. D.
! Sacramento, June II, 1897.