26o A STUDY IN HEREDITY 



as 'poisonous,' and as raw alcohol. It is neither. I give an 

 analysis of a bottle of Van Hoytima's trade-gin, which I obtained 

 to satisfy my own curiosity on the point : — 



"Analysis of Sample of Trade-Gin. 



" With reference to the bottle of the above, I have the honour 

 to report as follows : — 

 " It contains 



Per cent. 



Absolute alcohol, .... 39.35 



Acidity expressed as acetic acid, 0.0068 



Ethers expressed as acetic acid, . 0.021 



Aldehydes, .... Present in small quantity. 



Furfural, Ditto. 



Higher alcohols, . . . Ditto. 



"The only alcohol that can be estimated quantitatively is 

 ethyl alcohol. 



"There is no methyl, and the higher alcohols, as shown by 

 Savalie's method, only exist in traces. The spirit is flavoured by 

 more than one essential oil, and apparently oil of juniper is one 

 of these oils. 



" The liquid contains no sugar, and leaves but a small extract. 



" In my opinion, the hquid essentially consists of a pure dis- 

 tilled spirit, flavoured with essential oils. 



" Of course, no attempt to identify these oils in the quantity 

 sent, viz., 632 cc. (one bottle), was made. The ethers are returned 

 as ethyl acetate, but from fractional distillation amyl acetate was 

 found to be present. — I have the honour to be, &c., 



"G. H. Robertson, 



" Fellow of the Chemical Society, 

 "Associate of the Institute of Cheviistry." 



" In a subsequent letter Mr Robertson observed that he had 

 been assisted in making the above analysis by an expert in the 

 chemistry of alcohols, who said that the present sample differed in 

 no material particulars from, and was neither more nor less dele- 

 terious to health than, gin purchased in different parts of London 



