1827.] The Philosophy of Drunkenness. 609 



The modifications of intoxication, with reference to the peculiar liquor 

 or inebriating agent, are next considered : 



" Intoxication is not only influenced by temperament, but by the nature of the 

 agent which produces it. Thus, ebriety from ardent spirits differs in some particu- 

 lars from that brought on by opium or rnalt liquors, such as porter and ale. 



The principal varieties of spirits are rum, brandy, whisky, and gin. It is need- 

 less to enter into any detail of the history of these fluids. Brandy kills soonest : 

 it takes most rapidly to the head, and tinges the face to a crimson or livid hue. 

 Rum is probably the next in point of fatality j and, after that, gin and whisky. 

 The superior diuretic qualities of the two latter, and the less luscious sources from 

 which they are procured, may possibly account for these differences." 



The fact of the peculiar unwholesomeness of brandy is one which has 

 not been generally known. Gin, however, which Mr. Macnish holds 

 among the least dangerous agents, is esteemed, by some medical writers, 

 to be highly pernicious, from its tendency to produce dropsy. 



Drunkenness from wine is said closely to resemble that from ardent 

 spirits : 



" It is equally airy and volatile, more especially if the light wines, such as 

 champaign, claret, chambertin, or volnay, be drunk. On the former, a person 

 may get tipsy several times of a night. The fixed air evolved from it produces a 

 feeling analogous to ebriety, independent of the spirit it contains. Port, sherry, 

 and madeira are heavier wines, and have a strongerj;endency to excite head-ache 

 and fever." 



Malt drinks, however, in the author's opinion, produce that species of 

 drunkenness which is most speedily fatal : 



" Malt liquors, under which title we include all kinds of porter and ales, produce 

 the worst species of drunkenness ; as, in addition to the intoxicating principle, 

 some noxious ingredients are usually added, for the purpose of preserving them and 

 giving them their bitter. The hop of these fluids is highly narcotic, and brewers 

 often add other substances, to heighten its effect, such as opium, coculus indicus, 

 &c. Malt liquors, therefore, act in two ways upon the body, partly by the alcohol 

 they contain, and partly by the narcotic principle. In addition to this, the fer- 

 mentation which they undergo is much less perfect than that of spirits or wine. 

 After being swallowed, this process is carried on in the stomach, by which fixed 

 air is copiously liberated, and the digestion of delicate stomachs materially impaired. 

 Cider, spruce, ginger, and table beers, though purposely impregnated with this air 

 for the sake of briskness, produce the same bad effect, even when their briskness 

 has vanished. The cause of all this is the want of due fermentation. 



" Persons addicted to malt liquors increase enormously in bulk. They become 

 loaded with fat : their chin gets double or triple, the eye prominent, and the whole 

 face bloated and stupid. Their circulation is clogged, while the pulse feels like a 

 cord, and is full and labouring, but not quick. During sleep the breathing is ster- 

 terous. Every thing indicates an excess of blood ; and when a pound or two is 

 taken away, immense relief is obtained. The blood in such cases is more dark 

 and sizy than in the others. In seven cases out of ten, malt liquor drunkards die of 

 apoplexy or palsy. If they escape this hazard, swelled liver or dropsy carries them 

 off. The abdomen seldom loses its prominency, but the lower extremities get 

 ultimately emaciated. Profuse bleedings frequently ensue from the nose, and save 

 life, by emptying the blood-vessels of the brain. 



" The drunkenness in question is peculiarly of British growth. The most noted 

 examples of it are to be found in innkeepers and their wives, recruiting Serjeants, 

 guards of stage-coaches, &c. 



" The effects of malt liquors on the body, if not so immediately rapid as those of 

 ardent spirits, are more stupifying, more lasting, and less easily removed. The last 

 are particularly prone to produce levity and mirth, but the first have a stunning 

 influence upon the brain, and, in a short time, render dull and sluggish the gayest 



M.M. New Series VOL. III. No. 18. 4 I 



