THE CHEMISTRY OF THE ANIMAL BODY. 979 



esters of the fatty acids (fusel oils), glycerin, and succinic acid are produced. 

 Such fermentation may to a small extent take place in the intestine, 1 and like- 

 wise in the bladder (occurrence in diabetic urine). Pure alcohol is a colorless, 

 almost odorless liquid, having a burning taste. It is a valuable solvent of 

 resins, fats, volatile oils, bromine, iodine, and many medicaments. 



Tinctures are alcoholic solutions of various drugs and salts. 



liqueurs are manufactured from alcohol properly diluted, and treated with sugar and 

 characteristic ethereal oils and aromatics. 



Distilled liquors are obtained by the distillation of the fermentative products of various 

 substances, whiskey from corn and rye, rum from molasses, brandy from wine. The cha- 

 racterizing taste depends on the different ethereal and fusel oils. 



Wines are produced from the natural fermentation of grape-juice. Sherry, madeira, 

 and port are fortified by the further addition of alcohol and sugar. 



Beer is made by converting the starch of barley into maltose and dextrin through 

 diastase. To an aqueous solution of the above hops are added, and the whole is boiled. 

 After the settling of precipitated proteid, etc. , the clear supernatant fluid is drawn off and 

 treated with yeast, with ultimate conversion into beer. The taste is furnished by the hops. 



ALCOHOL IN THE BODY. Alcohol in the stomach at first prevents the 

 gelatinization necessary in proteid for peptic digestion, but this difficulty is of 

 no great moment because the absorption of alcohol is rapid and complete. 

 It makes the mucous membrane hyperaemic, promotes the absorption of 

 accompanying substances (sugar, peptone, potassium iodide), and stimulates 

 the flow of the gastric juice. 2 In this matter it acts as do other condiments 

 (salt, pepper, mustard, peppermint), 3 but if there be too great an irritation 

 on the mucous membrane there is less activity (dyspepsia). The rapid 

 absorption gives to alcohol its quick recuperative effect after collapse, and 

 its value in administering drugs, especially antidotes. Alcoholic beverages 

 combining alcohol and flavor promote gastric digestion and absorption, but 

 often stimulate the appetite in excess of normal requirement. Alcohol is 

 burned in the body, but may also be found in the breath, perspiration, urine, 

 and milk. Alcohol has no effect on proteid decomposition, but acts to spare 

 fat from combustion. 4 The addition of 50. to 80 grams of alcohol to the 

 food has no apparent effect on the nitrogenous equilibrium. 5 Alcohol in the 

 body acts as a paralyzant on certain portions of the brain, destroying the more 

 delicate degrees of attention, judgment, and reflective thought, diminishing the 

 sense of weariness (use after great exertion furnished to armies in the last 

 hours of battle) and raising the self-esteem ; it paralyzes the vaso-constrictor 

 nerves, producing turgescence of the skin with accompanying feeling of warmth 

 and thereby indirectly aiding the heart. 6 The higher alcohols, propyl, butyl, 

 amyl (see p. 983) are more poisonous as the series ascends, 7 and are less vol- 



1 Macfadyen, Nencki, and Sieber : Archiv filr exper. Pathologic und Pharmakologie, 1891, 

 Bd. 28, p. 347. 



2 Brandl : Zeitschrift fir Biologic, 1892, Bd. 29, p. 277. 8 Brandl, Op. cit., p. 292. 



4 See V. Noorden : Pathologic des Stqfticechsels, 1893, p. 227. 



5 Str6m : Abstract in Centralblatt filr Physiologic, 1894, Bd. 8, p. 582. 



6 Schmiedeberg : Grundriss der Arzneimittellehre, 2d ed., 1888. 



7 Gibbs and Reichert : Archiv fiir Physiologic, 1893, Suppl. Bd. p. 201. 



