The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-26
1T IS IMPOSSIBLE
 TO KEEP LIQUOR FREE FROM POISON
(COntiDued from Page One)

respiration. and the temperature. It is a rapid intoxicant. IntoXication caused by 1t brings about stupor and loss of sensibility.
 Next to that kind of moonshine, the liquor most commonly dealt in by bootleggers is made from dcnatured alcohol non-beverage liquor in tended for industrial uses Dena- tured alcohol originally was pure grain alcohol. Among the denatur- ants used are carbolic acid. hydro- chloric acid. formaldehyde, wood all cohol, pyridine, acetope, and numer- ous other polsons, all of which, of course. are injurious to the human system.
 o o 0
 Dcnatured Product-As Before.
 Theoretically. it is possible to re- cover pure grain alcohol from the de- natured product. That is what many illicit manufacturers attempt to do. either by redistllation or by neu- tralizing the poisons, Almost with out exception such a manufacturer is without chemical knowledge or training. The delicate and compii- cated process by which pure grain may be recovered is beyond his pow CTS He succeeds in dlstilling liquor from which most of the dis
 
 that when it is combined with flavor ing and coloring substances the buyer will accept 1t as real liquor. But 1t still contains small quantities of the poisons used in the denaturing pro cess. The man who takes this kind of liquor into his system-and 1t con stitutes practically the entire stock of the bootlegger with the exception of other moOnshine--is certain to take small quantities of from one to a score of pofsons, and may take q quantity that will result in serious injury at once' or, occasionally, death.
 This recovered" denatured alcohol is often used as the basis for the "Smuggled" liquors and limitations of established domestic brands. Gin is made from it merely by the addition of oil of juniper, Scotch whisky is made from it by adding some color ing matter and little creosote to give 1t the characteristic smoky flavor. Bourbon and rye whiskies often are recovered" denatured all cohol, favored to taste and colored. The coloring matter is usually caro- mel or prune juice, innocent enough in themselves.
 | PoisonS Already In.
 | PGisons are sometimes added for the purpose of giving a kick" to tle llquOr, put practically all of the samples coming in to the labora ! tories have such powerful and i'm 1 mediately intoxicating effect that ! the addition of such poisons is un- ! necessary. In rare cases. a poison may be for making a bead" on the | liquor when it is poured into glass 1 Comparatively harmless soap solu- tions generally are used for that ! purpose. The I've contained in the i soap solution is harmful. of course l but it's deleterious effects are mild when compared with denaturinG agents left in the alcohol.
 Lye is a fairly frequent element !n i moonshine poison, but it is not used primarily to make the liquor more 1 intoxicating. The moonshiner some ] times finds that he cannot utilize all his mash a quickly as he should. In an effort to keep 1t sweet he adds concentrated I've or wood ashes. Lye thus placed in moonshine is much more dangerous than the sma I quantity put in synthetic liquors to 1 make a bead.
 Wood alcohols toll of death ant blindness is ghastly The eases corn in seeming opidemics Apparently they are the product, not of delioer- ate intent to murder, but of iignor-