ALCOHOL. 29 
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dietetic use of sherry remembrance must be held that it exercises 
a strong arresting effect (by its free sugar, and its acidity) on the 
conversion of bread, and other farinaceous foods by the saliva 
into dextrose. But sherry is superior to the other fortified 
Wines as to the rapidity with which it develops the volatile 
ethers. Therefore it is an appropriate stimulant for benefiting 
certain sorts of infantile, and youthful debility, as well as nervous 
failure in the digestive functions of enfeebled old invalids. 
Sherry (Vinum zericum), the wine of Jerez, in Southern Spain, is 
commonly much manipulated. Negus (an Indian drink) is made 
with white wine (Sherry or Marsala), sugar, and lemon-juice, with 
ginger and a little nutmeg being added, whilst steaming hot water 
serves to complete this fragrant cordial restorative, of moderate 
alcoholic strength. At Jerez, Sherry is the common everyday 
drink of working persons, as well as of the upper classes: and 
their general good health, with an immunity from rheumatism, 
or gout, is proverbial. It is then a dry natural wine, the most 
refreshing and wholesome of drinks: whereas the Sherry 
exported to this country is sweetened, and loaded with 
spirit. . 
Elderly persons sometimes cannot fall asleep for a long time 
after getting into bed, and become worn out with restlessness, 
and with tossing about. This misfortune may generally be 
obviated by their taking an egg, lightly boiled, or a plain chicken 
sandwich, or some equally simple, yet nutritive little repast 
the last thing at night (supposing no previous solid meal has 
preceded this by at least a couple of hours), accompanied by 
half a tumblerful of hot wine and water, or negus, or a glass 
of sound, light, bitter beer. Sweet, fortified wines are specially 
to be chosen for this purpose, as Malaga, or Port, or Sherry. 
Likewise good Burgundy, warmed, spiced, diluted, and sweetened, 
makes an excellent night-cap. Madeira, again, another fortified 
wine, will exercise soporific effects either as a separate, but 
treacherous, potation, or when mulled (Latin mollire, to soften) 
with spices; the devotees of which wine aver that it should smack 
of the cockroach. At the Hop Pole Inn, Tewkesbury, where 
Mr. Pickwick, with Mr. Benjamin Allen, and Mr. Bob Sawyer, 
stopped to dine, “there was more bottled ale, more Madeira, 
and some Port besides, and here the case-bottle was replenished 
for the fourth time; under the influence of which combined 
stimulants Mr. Pickwick, and Mr. Ben Allen fell fast asleep for 
