384: THE MORAL STATUS OF ALCOHOL. 



Moselle, and other wines highly charged with carbonic acid, is 

 proverbial. Whatever be the time rationale of the action of 

 alcohol upon the human organism, there can be no doubt as 

 to the fact of varying tolerance of the same constitution for 

 alcohol at different times and under different circumstances. 

 It comes within my own experience to know a gentleman of 

 stomach so delicate, that whilst he, normally living in his own 

 sedentary way (being a literary man), can never drink even 

 spirit-and-water without serious sufferings ; yet when travel- 

 ling, especially if the weather be cold, he sips raw spiiit so 

 continuously, that any one noting the habit would infallibly 

 put him down as a sot. Nevertheless, the frequent drams 

 have then not the slightest inebriating effect upon him. 



In respect to the susceptibility of certain constitutions to 

 feel the intoxication of alcohol, they are commonly spoken 

 of as weak, and the proclivity is referred to weakness. Such 

 explanation, however, is by no means correctly expressive. 

 Physicians are well aware that certain of their patients, much 

 reduced by sickness, and in the earlier stage of convalescence, 

 cannot (to speak with a little licence) become inebriated; 

 that so soon as the ability to get tipsy is manifested, there 

 is, in this very circumstance, an indication of returning health. 

 Sex would seem to regulate and determine the sort of liking 

 for alcoholic liquors. It is very rare to meet with a woman 

 who does not like champagne. Port-wine, too, is unquestion- 

 ably an alcoholic drink congenial to the softer sex. Sherry 

 is less generally appreciated by them; and as for claret or 

 hock, one seldom meets with an Englishwoman who really 

 likes these wines. Burgundy to the feminine taste is more 

 tolerable; and it is at the same time stronger than claret. 

 Given for scrutiny an equal number of confirmed drunkards 

 of either sex, there will, in this country at least, be found 

 more female than male dram-drinkers. A woman beer-sot 

 is comparatively rare, even amongst the metropolitan lower 

 orders. Born as I was in a cider-producing county, I have 



