792 ORD. LI. Gramina. SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM. 
any description’ of it here: it is manifestly a neutral saline sub- 
stance, the acid of which Bergman first taught us to separate by 
means of the' nitrous acid:* and it since appears that several other 
substances,- both vegetable and animal, contain an acid similar to” 
that of Sugar. The‘other constituent parts of Sugar seem to be 
an oily and mucilaginous matter; and though it is not yet satis- 
factorily explained how a combination of these substances should 
produce on the organs of taste a sensation of sweetness, yet as it 
is known that the strong vitriolic acid becomes sweet’ by uniting 
it to spirit of wine, we may easily conceive that the sweetness of 
Sugar may be effected in a somewhat similar way. 
‘From the known properties of Sugar, it has been supposed to 
unite the unctuous part of the food with the animal juices, and 
hence it has been thowght to increase corpulence or fatness; others: 
however have thought that a contrary effect would be produced 
by this quality of sugar, viz. by preventing the separation of the 
oily matter from the blood, which forms fat. Professor Murray, 
who has treated this subject very elaborately, * thinks: that by the 
fermentation which Sugar undergoes in the stomach, and by its 
relaxing resolvent saponaceous cuinlities, as well as by the acid 
which it contains, it rather tends. to emaciate than to fatten the 
body; and in this opinion he observes that he has the authority 
of Boerhaave, who says if this sweet be taken in large quantities 
it produces emaciation by dissolving too much of the animal oil. 
He is therefore much surprized, that Mr. John Hunter should. 
lately recommend Sugar and honey as the best restoratives to 
those suffering from great debility by a long course of mercury.* 
; 4 See his Diss. de acido sacchari, published in 1776. 
© See Berthollet in ge de P Acad. Sc. 1780. p. 120. Also Scheele in Fet. 
Acad. Handl. 1785. p. 23. 
§ See App. Med. vol. 5. 
* He says, “ Miror ideo, quod adhuc nuper Cl. J. Hunter (Treatise on the 
Venerea) disease, p. 354. sq.) saccharum tanquam optimum restaurans in hominibus 
dinturno jejunio debilitatis vel mercurii usu emaciatis proposuerit, &c..? Lic. p- 41a. 
