ALCOHOL. 25 
upwards. The principal modern wines are Port, Sherry, 
Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Madeira, Rhine, Moselle, 
Tokay, and Marsala. Sherry and Port are fortified wines; 
Claret and Hock are natural wines. ‘On the chemistry of food- 
digestion in the stomach wines exercise a retarding effect out 
of all proportion to the amount of alcohol which they contain ; 
that produced on the second digestion by the stomachbread 
(pancreas) is to be accounted for by their acid qualities.” 
Dietetically most wines are of equal value, provided they are 
the products of a favourable season, being pure, and free from 
fungous defects. It nevertheless by no means follows that 
because of hindering digestion in some respects, wines are 
altogether to be prohibited with meals ; seeing that by increasing 
the appetite, and thus inducing a larger secretion of gastric 
juice, they may, if taken in moderate quantity, not only 
neutralize any arrest of the digestive chemistry in the stomach, 
but are likely to actually accelerate that function on the whole, 
and to make it more comfortable than it would otherwise be. 
“‘ This, indeed,” says Dr. Hutchison, “is one of the most 
useful actions of wine, both in health, and in disease.” The 
stimulating action of a wine fortified with alcohol is to be 
considered twice as great as that of a natural wine. The acids 
of wine are chiefly present in the form of bitartrate of potash 
(cream of tartar), which eventually goes to increase the alkalinity 
of the wine ; since the organic acids and their salts, which are 
combinations with earthy bases, as contained in wine, become 
converted within the body into alkaline compounds, and are 
excreted as such by the kidneys, and other outlets. It has been 
truly said “‘the human brain, and the human stomach are the 
only analysts which never make mistakes.” Hock, for instance, 
which is a rather acid wine, if freely imbibed, tends to prevent 
the precipitation of gouty uric acid in the urine. And the same 
result follows cider-drinking as a rule; persons who use this 
beverage freely are not troubled with gravel; indeed, they are 
found to possess a special immunity from that grievance, for 
the cider not only makes the urine less acid, but also considerably 
increases its volume. It has been proved that as a matter of 
fact the most acid wines are not those which are most generally - 
eredited with producing gout. Possibly it is the combined 
presence of both sugar and acid in the wine for the time being 
which makes the sweet drink harmful to the sufferer from gouty = 
