210 PHYSIOLOGY. 



the early records of history. But it was not until the 

 microscope was invented that its cause was known. 



When alcohol accumulates in the fermenting liquid to 

 the amount of 14 per cent, it kills the yeast germs; conse- 

 quently no natural wine can contain more than this amount. 

 Wines are classed as light wines and heavy wines. The 

 light wines contain from 5 to 12 per cent alcohol. The 

 heavy wines include all wines with more than this amount 

 and have had brandy, or other spirit, added to them, having 

 from 16 to 25 per cent, or even more, alcohol. 



The Danger in Wine-drinking. Because some of the 

 wines contain a relatively small per cent of alcohol, there 

 is a common delusion that there is not much harm in 

 drinking them. Let us consider three points regarding 

 this, (i) We do not argue or act in the same way in re- 

 gard to other substances that are known to be poisonous. 

 We do not venture to take small doses of arsenic or phos- 

 phorus, saying "Oh! a little will not hurt me." The 

 poison is there just the same and will have its effect. 

 (2) In small quantities the alcohol in the wine has the 

 power to fix the alcohol habit, which is cumulative and 

 leads to a desire for more which is almost impossible to 

 resist. (3) Because of the very fact that the percentage 

 of alcohol in wines is low, enough more of the liquid is 

 taken to introduce into the system actually more alcohol 

 than is taken by those who drink stronger liquors. 



Wine-drinking cannot be too strongly condemned, either 

 on the ground of the effects it directly produces or the fact 

 that it leads to the use of stronger liquors. 



Vinegar. After sweet cider has fermented or become 

 " hard " as we call it it usually passes on to become vine- 

 gar. This change is another form of fermentation, due 



