40 VITIS, OR 



intoxication and the disease of intemperance. It acts on 

 the stomach and brain as a pernicious stimulant and cor- 

 rosive. It is, however, used medically in sudden chills 

 of the stomach by gout or cold water ; but warm wine 

 has exactly the same effect. Externally it is often em- 

 ployed in bruises, contusions, w^ounds, sprains, as a sti- 

 mulant and resolvent. A peculiar kind called aniseed 

 brandy, (Zambu in Sicily) is made in Italy with wine 

 and aniseeds, which makes water milky. Brandy is call- 

 ed oil proof when lighter than olive oil, a drop sinking 

 in it. To know how much oil proof brandy any wine 

 will give, boil slowly a measure of it, as soon as 

 the vapour rises set fire to it, and when the blaze sub- 

 sides, take it from the tire and measure it again; the de- 

 ficienc}' will be the brandy contained in the wine. A 

 very pernicious custom consists in adding brandy to 

 weak wines ; brandy thus added never amalgamates 

 well, decomposes the wine by a slow process, and changes 

 the wine into bad grog ! "VV henever strength is required 

 in wine, the brandy must be put in the Must before fer- 

 mentation, by which it is incorporated and modified ; 

 the alcohol of wine is always so chemically combined as 

 to be harmless. Fruits preserved in brandy are very 

 unhealthy. 



The only proper use of brandy is to make alcohol by 

 a second distillation : this of course can only be done in 

 wine countries, where wine is worth 5 cents the gallon, 

 and brandy £0 cents, when alcohol comes to 50 cents 

 only. Alcohol being the principle of all fermented 

 liquors, and a chemical alteration of their sugar, is pro- 

 duced by cider, beer, rum, arrack, rice, and barley malts, 

 at a rate nearly as cheap. Alcohol is a violent poison 

 taken in any quantity, it burns and corrpdes the stomach 

 like aqua tortis ; but externally it is a good stimulant 

 and strengthen ng tonic. It is, however, much used in 

 medicine and the arts, being a powerful solvent of many 

 substances, resins, oils, &c. With it are made medical 

 tinctures, elixirs, sweet scented essences, lotions, var- 

 nishes, cordials, &c. Used also to preserve animals for 

 museums ; but it has the defect to destroy their colors. 

 It ought to be much diluted when for internal use. It is 

 saturated with sugar to make cordials, and thus rendered 



