The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-01-05
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NOT THE IMPURITIES.
A Scientific Opinion That the InJuri-
Gus Property of Intoxicating
Beverages Is Alcohol.

A part of the energetic crusade
against the use of alcoholic beverages
is he allegation that many highly poi
sonous substances are used as adul-
.erants. 1t is not infrequently said
that if liquors could only be obtained
pure much less harm would be pro-
Guced by their use. Some years ago,
when one of the southern states under
took the paternalistic plan of con-
Quoting the sale of alcoholic beverages
as an official business, the governor,
who was an enthusiastic promoter of
the plan, loudly declared that he would
see that only pure liquors were dis
pensed. Many intelligent people, even
chemists, pharmacists, and physicians,
have been drawn into a support of the
view that, through either defective
processes of manufacture or deliber-
ate adulteration, standard alcoholic
beverages have been made much more
dangerous than they might be.
1t will not be possible here to go into
the chemistry or physiology of this
question in detail, but we want to set
forth the view that dangerous adul-
iteration of alcoholic beverages is in
frequent, and that some of the COM
mon opinions on the question are erro-
neous.
One of the most common fallacies
is the supposition that fusel oil is the
cause of injurious action in spirituous
liquors, especially whisky. Fusel oil
is term applied to mixture of bodies
allied to common alcohol, but of high
er boiling point. Doubtless they are
more injurious to the human system
in equal dose than common alcohol,
but the difference is not so marked.
Raw ii. e., recently distilled, unrefined)
whisky contains usually appreciate
amounts of fusel oil. 1t is generally
believed that age improves the quality
of whisky, mellows its flavor, and rem
ders its effects less severe. A hasty
jump of two steps has been made to eX-
plain this. The effects of the raw
spirit have been ascribed to the fusel
oil and aging has been credited with
the result of "oxidizing" it and remov-
ing it, Neither of these statements
can be established as fact. Mr.. A. H.
Allen, a well-known English chemist,
has made several experiments on him
self with fusel oil and has shown that
much larger quantities of it than are
likely to be in whisky may be borne
without apparent effect. He also
records the experience of al. ac-
quaintance who took without serious
result a comparatively large dose of
the substance.
1t has not been shown that the aging
is always attended by the removal of
the fusel oil. 1t is often present at the
last period of the process in amount
but little less than originally. Unfor-
tunately, the processes for determin-
ing fusel oil are difficult and uncertain,
so that trustworthy data are not at
hand. In an official investigation made
few years ago samples of uniform
and known composition were dis
tributed to some of the eGding chem
lists of the United States, with a re-
quest that determination of the fusel
oil should be made. Widely different
results were returned. The belief in
the specific danger of the small
amounts of fusel oil seems to have no
satisfactory basis.
AS to other dangerous authorizations
or impurities less precision is afforded
by popular expression. Perhaps the
most specific charges are made with
respect to beer. 1t is well known to
chemists that other bitters than hops
have been used, that glucose is often
substituted for malt and preservatives
added We are not aware that strych-
nine has ever been detected in beer.
1t has been often talked about. 1t is,
indeed, doubtful if it would be an OBJ
jectionable addition. 1t is an excel
lent tonic, and we know of at least
one case in which a small dose of
strychnine has been taken every day
for years without unfayorable results.
There is no experimental basis for the
view that the fermentation of glucose
produces any more unwholesOme sub
stances than the fermentation of malt.
The simple truth is that the in
furious material in Intoxicating bev-
erages is the alcohol, the accessory
substances, mostly ETHEREAL in nature.
may modify slightly the intoxicating
effect or determine personal liking for
one or the other form of beverage, but
no more; nor can we believe that IN
adulterated liquors or those made
with strictest attention to purity
would be less fertile as propagators of
crime and disease.-Henry LeffSann,
A. NJ, NJ. D., Phi. D.. in Dietetic and Hy-
gienic Gazette.