BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 309 
lowed to separate and evaporate untilit becomes 
granular, the molasses or treacle is drained off, 
and the raw sugar undergoes arefining process, 
such as dissolving, reheating, filtering through 
charcoal, etc. Refined sugar, white sugar, 
crushed sugar, loaf sugar, are terms applied to 
the same sugar. Occurs in crystalline pieces or 
granular masses; inodorous, but sweet to the 
taste; soluble in cold water and more freely so 
in hot water; sparingly soluble in alcohol and 
insoluble in ether. Forms with water a color- 
less syrup; the specific gravity of sugar is 1.60. 
The inferior sugars of commerce are whitened 
with Prussian blue or ultramarine. The Sac- 
charum album of the first grade when recrystal- 
lized forms the rock candy (saccharum crystal- 
lizatum) which occurs in very large crystals. 
Sugar is obtained from the palms in the East 
and West Indies. In France, Germany, Aus- 
tria and Russia, the beet is the principal source 
of sugar. The maple of our own country af- 
fords a good quality of sugar; barley is also 
another source of sugar. Cane sugar, when 
heated to 200°C. (292° F.) is converted into 
burnt sugar or caramel. 
The cane sugars are universally used as a 
luxury in all the civilized countries of the world, 
and in medicine as a demulcent and preserva- 
tive of fruits, petals, etc. It forms an agreea- 
ble adjunct to otherwise nauseous remedies. 
When an aqueous solution is exposed to the 
light and heat for any length of time, it is con- 
verted into glucose, and becomes fermentable. 
The grape sugar (saccharum uveum) is also 
known as starch sugar or glucose. This is ob- 
