Food and Drink 93 



substances, as ripe grapes, pears, apples, and other fruits, 

 cane juices, corn, the malt of barley, rye, wheat, and other 

 cereals. 



The process differs according to the substance used and 

 the manner in which it is treated, but the ultimate outcome is 

 always the same, viz., the production of a beverage contain- 

 ing a greater or less proportion of alcohol. 



The more common alcoholic beverages produced by 

 vinous fermentation are beer, wine, and cider. 



The use of these drinks costs the world every year thou- 

 sands of valuable lives and an inestimable loss of physical 

 and mental working ability, besides a vast amount of crime 

 and immorality. It is the nature of the alcohol which these 

 drinks contain to create an increasing appetite for more 

 alcohol, and to weaken the self-control necessary for resist- 

 ing the appetite. 



143. Distilled Liquors. When any kind of fermented 

 liquor is heated, the vapor which first comes off contains 

 much of the alcohol. Now if this alcoholic vapor be col- 

 lected and cooled it takes the form of a much stronger 

 liquid alcohol. 



This process is known as distillation, and the product is 

 called distilled liquor. 



The more common distilled liquors are brandy, rum, 

 whisky, and gin ; they are more harmful and dangerous than 

 beer, wine, and cider, because they contain more alcohol. 



144. The Effects of Small Quantities of Alcohol. Careful 

 experiments show that the greater part of the alcohol of ordi- 

 nary beverages, when used in small or moderate quantities, 

 is burnt up or oxidized within the body. A small per cent 

 of this alcohol may, however, be excreted unchanged in 

 the breath and from the kidneys. Observations show that 

 alcohol thus oxidized yields a certain amount of heat energy, 



