Foreign Vegetables. 421 
it raifes an Heat not only in the Inteftines, but like- 
wife over the whole Body when conveyed into the 
Mafs of Blood. It caufes Worms in Children. It 
is reckoned extremely injurious to the Teeth, fince 
it makes them black, canker’d and loofe : Where- 
fore it is cuftomary with prudent People, after eating 
it, to wafh their Mouth and Teeth well with Water. 
But thefe are the leaf! Inconveniencies arifing 
from Sugar immoderately ufed. Willis , Simon Paulli 
and Ray accufe it of far greater. They afcribe to an 
immoderate Ufe thereof, the Scurvy and Confump- 
tion, the reigning Diftempers of England. 44 And 
46 left any one (fays Ray ) ftiould rather fufpecft thefe 
“ Diftempers, which are fo common in England , 
44 to be owing to the moift Conftitution of the Air ; 
44 we are told that in Portugal , which is a warm 
44 Climate, the Confumption is become epidemical 
44 from the fame Caufe : For the Portugueze con- 
44 fume more Sugar than any other Nation, except 
44 the Englijh .” And Willis , in his Treatife on the 
Scurvy , c. 10. writes thus. 44 I fo far blame Things 
46 preserved and mixed with Sugar, that I believe 
44 the Invention and immoderate Ufe thereof have 
44 very much contributed to the great Progrefs 
44 which the Scurvy has made in this laft Age. 
“For that Concrete confifts of a Salt fufficiently 
44 acrid and corrofive, tho’ foftened with Sulphur, 
44 as is evident from its chymical Analylis ; inaf- 
4 4 much as Sugar, being diftilled by itfelf, gives 
44 up a Liquor little inferior to Aqua Regia. But 
44 being fermented with a large Quantity of Wa- 
4 4 ter, and then diftilled, notwithstanding that the 
44 fixt Salt is not raifed, yet a Liquor will be drawn 
44 off as hot and pungent as the ftrongeft Brandy. 
44 Therefore, fince we take Sugar fo plentifully in 
44 almoft all our Food, it is highly probable that 
44 the daily Ufe which we make of it renders the 
J 4 Blood and Humours faline and acrimonious, and 
E e 3 46 confe- 
