250 R. Marloth, Ph.D., M.A. — On [June 29, 



It was Professor Dujardin-Beaiimetz in France, who ascertained 

 the effects of these alcohols on dogs. The results of his experiments 

 establish the highly interesting fact, that the higher in the series 

 an alcohol stands the more toxic it is, and the degree of toxicity 

 follows almost in a mathematical ratio the atomic formula. He has 

 determined the medium toxic dose for the various alcohols, calcu- 

 lated on the weight of the dog and reduced to a unit in kilogrammes, 

 and he obtained as the result the following series : Ethyl-alcohol, 

 7'75 ; propyl 3*75 ; lentyl, 1*85 ; amyl, I'o. You are, of course, 

 aware of the fact that the alcohol contained in brandy or wine or 

 elsewhere is a poison. There is a toxic dose for alcohol just as well 

 as for strychnine. It has happened often enough that a man has 

 been killed by taking too large a dose of spirits. The toxic dose 

 for dogs being 7*75 grammes for each kilogramme of weight, a 

 terrier, weighing for instance five pounds, would require one ounce 

 of ethyl-alcohol to be killed. But in giving him propyl-alcohol, 

 which is the first of the fusel-oil series, half an ounce would produce 

 the same effect, whilst the anayl-alcohol would do it already with 90 

 drops, being more than five times as toxic as the ethyl-alcohol. The 

 latter is, you remember, the alcohol par excellence, the former with 

 five atoms of carbon is the fusel-oil "par excellence." It is this 

 alcohol which forms the main portion of the potato and grain fusel 

 oils, and therefore the obnoxious properties of rude potato and grain- 

 spirits are easily understood. The spirit carefully distilled from 

 good wine contains very little of these more toxic alcohols, but in 

 spirits from badly fermented wine their quantity increases, if the 

 distillation is not carried on in such a manner as to prevent their 

 being mixed with the spirit in the receiver. 



Mr. Crowe's suggestions in his report to Parliament deserve the 

 full attention of all brandy-distilling farmers, for if the stills are 

 improved in such a way as he recommends a great portion of the 

 lusel-oil will be separated from the brandy. 



I may be allowed to repeat that the nature and the quantity of 

 ihe fusel-oil alone make a spirit more or less objectionable from a 

 hygienic point of view, and that there is not the slightest reason 

 for objecting to the use of rectified potato or grain spirits instead 

 of wine-spirit. On the contrary. With the modern appliances, 

 which a professional distiller in Europe is compelled to use at 

 present, for economy's sake, such spirit is produced of a greater 

 purity than any other kind, and it is this spirit chiefly which is used 



