NEW FACTS ABOUT DRINK.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1803, 26 January 1884, Page 4

NEW FACTS ABOUT DRINK.

Some highly interesting experiments have lately been made in France to determine the. properties of different sorts of inUm--,co&mg drinks. Attention may be called to them here, both because questions concerning the trade in liquor hold a projninent place in the minds of social re?fpiner3, in tins month of October, when publican's licenses are renewed, and because it may be useful to help dispelling that widespread popular delusion 'to 'the effect that all drunkaids are alike. M. Jean Baptiste Dumas, the eminent chymist, demonstrated long ago that drinks vary as much in the symptoms they produce as medical drills. Accept ing the word " stimulant " to expiess the general and primary influence of alcohol, he pointed out that the faculties stimulated in man by this or that intoxicant .ire by no means the same. Theie is the wine that "makes glad the heart," as the Psalmist says, and there is the wine that saddens. According to M. Dumas a man "may inbibe foolishness," or he may " drink impulses to commit murder;" he may drink some spiiit, which, used in excess, will convert him into a comparatively harmless sot, or he may choose one that ■will turn him into a savage beast. M. Dumas was originally led to Ins observations bv the'remark of a criminal who lay in prison for an attempt to murder, and who said that whereas the wine of his native village in Burgundy used to make him fhbtgay and then drowsy, that which he had drunk in Paris under the same name had always filled him with vicious thoughts and kept him sleepless. Hearing this M. Dumas procured too specimens of the wines sold at cheap rates in Pausian public-houses, and analyses re\ paled that 78 of these contained not a particle of grape iuice. Divers mgiedients had been used to supply colouring and ilavonr, and the alcohol was derived in some cases from potatoes, wood, or putiid vegetable matter in fermentation. The next step was to collect evidence as to the antecedents of drunkards in hospitals and lunatic asylums, but this, led to few discovers, because it was found that most of tlio patients had been in a habit of " mixing their liquois." This much, however, was ascavtamed beyaml doubt — that a laii^c consumption of absinthe conduced to thoughts oi suicide and melancholy madness ; that white wine and «m, which aic mostly drunk hi the Khiueknd and Switzerland, made men iiiitahlo and qnarrclsonic, wheieasthe cfleot of intoxication by ml vino, when genuine, was to render the di inker ni-t nieiiv, then simply stupid, and to soften his biain by degrees till he succumbed to gcneial paralysis. Several physicians skilled in the treatment of buiin di&eiMis — Doctors Chat cot, Lasso^ue, Logiand dv Saullc, and 801 l — then took uu the question, and about two }cais n^o | the Academy of Medicine obtained leave of Government to commence systematic expeiimeuts with dhctssoits of intoxicants upon twelve h\mg pigs Tiie pig was eho-.cn because he will cat and dunk an} thing, and his digestive organism most neatly lesemHes that of man. To the great eiedit of the pig-, it must he said that they lent themselves \u\ unwillingly, at iii st, to tne inlenipoiate habits winch it was sought to de\ elope in them. Alcohol being inked with tl\e\v food they declined to eat- it was only when hunger mastoiod the.ni lli.it they weie induced to dip their snouts into the nauseous me-ses piepaied, and several da\s (lapsed befou- they quite conqueied then disgust. The &lau<rhtei houses at La Yillctte wcic used as the scene ot these cxpeiimeuts Each pit, was lodged in a sepai ate stye and plied with a diffeient intoxicant. One was put on pure biandy, another on blanches adulterated ; one had puie absinthe and another adulteiated absinthe ; one had rum, one gin, one while wine, one led wine, one gin and beei, one bia.uly and beer, and one all soits of spirituous diinks. This last pig came to gnef that. He died in convulsions at the end of four months, and was found to have sulfeied fiom a complication of disoidot-, — inflammation of the main, enlaigement of the liver, and gastric tuinoms. "For some time befoie Ins death he had shown lnmstlf disinclined to eat but more and moie eaget to drink, and this was a symptom observable in all the animals once tluj had become well aecustomc 1 to the alcohol. The pigs who held out longest were he who (bank nun, the one who had beer and gin, and the one who was made men} with led wine. The two foimei got to be enoimously fat and contracted intestinal diseases ; but thendoses of liquor being giadmlly diminished, at the uid ot tne ninth month they iveie eventually icstoied to full health. The diinkei ot pine led wine on the contiaiy pined away when hi-> supply of liquor was lessened, in the twelfth month, and he died soon aftci it had been stopped altogether thus conobating an observation oi Dr. Losseyuo's, that wine diunkatds ate the most difficult of all ho cine. Thia will «ooin but natuial when we consider that the iiiisny caused by the drinks which pioduce \ iolent ii i itaIniity, may often act as a collective, whereas wine, winch (list gladdens and stupefies, is a most fascinating poison. Happily it is also the most expensu c, for it requires very lanre diaughts to excite the confhmed wine-bibber. "We liave heard of three-bottle men in old time, and the pig who took puic red wine had giown at last to be a icgiil.u soaker, ciavmg his five or six quai tsot " oiditi.ine*' ad ty The two absinthe pLs met with diffeient fates. T!?e one who wis (hugged with pure spirit heliaved in the wildest and most unintelligible mannci. standing on his hind legs and pawing at the sides of his stye, uttciing cues that wue like roars, and then at last, when ovmome by the fumes, sinking down and whining miserably, lie became quite <le.eple<-s in the fifth month, upon which hi-, lieatment was alteied, but two late to sue him, for he had a slioke of paialysis which disabled his left side, and ho was then put out of his miociy. Meanwhile the. animal whose food was mixed with adiilteiatcd absinthe began to 1 mguish after ninety day&, and foin weeks later died in great sutfeimg, with symptoms of 'copper-poisoning. An analysis of his absinthe disclosed that it owed its blight green colour to copp'-i, puie absinthe being of a faint yellowish gieen ; and yet thousands of Ficnclunen in the lower classes were dunking and still drink the highly colouied compound of which this pig died. The white-wine pig developed a most initable, neivous temper, squealing when appioaehed, and " tff/ing to bite. He was the only one of the dozen who became absolutely lean, and he died at las>t l other suddenly of gastric tumour in the eleventh month. All the othei pigs giew moie or less gross. The gin-pig succumbed to intestinal inflammation in the tenth month ; the pig to whom pine brandy was given lived eight months and then became imbecile, appearing unable to find his way to his trough or to eat propeily. His death, however, was the result of an accident, for he choked himself with a bone that had got into his food, just after the doctors had commenced a curative treatment with him. The pig who had adulterated brandy only lived six months, and perished after a series of forfey-one epileptic fits ; whilst apoplexy tfeposed \n the tenth month of the pig •who drank becra.wl \jva.wv> T . Hv«. vat ion of the former liquid had gradually bpen increased to nea\ly a painful a day, which he drank neat as if it relished ifc. In sum the result of thecxpeiimcnts was to show that the excessive use of alcohol causes a rapid ruin of the digestive system, and a disintegration of the cellular tissues of the brain. It also proved that injurious effects are produced jiiost rapidly by absinthe, then by brandy, giu, rum, white wine, and red in the order uamed. As to adulterated drinks their pernicious properties are mitigated in a manner by the fact that they destroy life more quickly that the 9thera ; but they uudouptedly GQpduce te

a greater irritation of the verves. • The experiments on the pigs could disclose nothing as to the moral opera-} tion of the adulterated mixtures but Dr. Cliarcot asserted that human beines afflicted -with the symptoms exhibited in the pigs who dranlf'adulterated absinthe, and In.uidy would have been murderously inclined ; and thus he rallied to M. Dumas' opinion that men who sell «pui ions liquors are guilty of something woise thin meve'y poisoning their customeib' bodies. There may be something speculative in this idea, but if there be a pain ot truth in it one must hope that the piogiess oj science will render it possible to determine more accurately th.in cm be done at pi esent what are the exact moral effects attributable to this or that liquor. M. Dumas looks to the day when all this shall be made quite plain ; and when the sale of intoxicants which arouse bad passions shall be completely abolished by law. Considering what appalling mischief is done by those who sell "murderous impulses over the counter," such a consummation may be wished for oven by tho&e who have no sympathy with teetotalism or prohibitive liquor laws in the sense hitherto understood. — Pictorial World.

Weissteii's Spelling Book, still in use in some United States schools, has been m print for 100 years. The sale to date aggregate 73,000,000 copies. The congeration of Notre Dame Church, Paris, has dwindled from the thirty or forty thousand of former times to two or three hundred even on festival days. The German residents of Russia have raised a subscription of £30,000 towards establishing Geimau classes, in the different unhei-aities and seminaries of RussiaA tium composed wholly of women have stai ted a barber shop in one of the leading stiects of New Yoik. A ai \n named RadclifT, who has just died at Sheffield, he hid for years pretended to lie a bcaided woman, and was a gieat attiaction to the cm ions. Tin. laigcst oy.ster shell in the world, it is saul, ltis used in the chinch of St. Sulpioe, in Pans, as a, font for holding holy water. The shell w eighs over .lOOld. and was pi evented to Fianois I by the Venetian Ivt public. Tin. llo.iting gaidens at Kashmir in Eabtein A«.u scemod to be one ot the wondi-is ot the woild. Tliey co\er an expanse ot \\atci about nitio miles in citcumfoience, and on a subsoil of glasses and aquatic plants they giow melons and eucunibeis, and a oiop is raised of great \ nine. Tin, vrdding ling given by Martin Luthci to his l)i ide l^ still m exi&tance, ami h.n been lately placed on exhibition in Fianktoit on-the-Main. It bears the icpii'sontalion of tlie I'.ission, and in it is s( t a small niby. The inscription is: " Dr Mai (.in Luther ; Catheune Boia, June 13, I.V-T). ' Ui iim \\ doi-tots piopose to dibcaid the teaspoon ,ui<l t.iblospoon in ineasuiing niedicnip, and adopt the metrical system m then pie->ciiption of liquids. Oua^ed glasses maiked in the scale of one, five, Ten giainnu^, &c, are to bo used, which will n ink t the administration of medicine moio ueeuiatc. AcfoKUiM. to the (Jospel in all Lands, tlicio aie in Lvuknow and Cawnpore toit> Ihe i)ubb-huig houses engaged in punting and uuuliting infidel and pagan books One pubhshci xoeeived fiom a rich Mohammedan J-OOOdol to assist in piinting Molunnn 'dan uoiks. A million Hindoo tiai ts weie issued at the expense ot oni> Hindoo pimce. One hundred and tin ce nowspnpoi.s, mostly -weekly, alnoeate .Hid sujipoi t paganism and Hindooism and a-sail Clnistianity in India. Aiiri i icr vl stone is by no means a modem diM.o\eiy To say nothing ot the burnt bi icks. of the ancient Egyptians, Scotland, England, lieland, and Wales contain numeions \cins of conciete i.\ the old castles of those lands. The Moors ha\e aho loft samples of their aititicial stone upon the lock of Gibraltar, which, !ki\c withstood the fury of the climate for o\ er ten centuues. The cisterns of Solomon, near Tyre, elected by that potentate aic in almost complete preteivdtion. Many other similar relics are found in otliei Eastern (Jountiies. Tin. remains of Charles F. Brown (Ai tennis Waid) are buued in Elmvale, Me, Cemcteiy, near the old Emeison place. Tlie gia\e is maiked with a plain slab, mnuh neglected. At the tune of Ins bunal some of his literary fnendt. pioposed getting up a monument, and did pass icsolutions to that eflect. The monument, though much needed, has never appeared. Tlie line engraved upon hii tombstone scorns to bo ti ue wherever " A. Waid"s " sayings aie known : " His memeny shall lemain a sweet and unfading tecolleclion." Johv (!iuvurv\ rv Calii onxrA. — E\eiy pound of ficsh poik sold in San Fianu-sco passes tlnough the hands of Chinese, and they iiequently impose hea\ y fines on liog gioweis who attempt to soil stock direct to white butchers. The Chinese hd\e also gained a ptactical monopoly of washing throughout the State, as well as a control ot the cigarlnanufacturo ; and thcie are signs that they -\\ ill soon liave control of the boot and shoe manufacture, as well as that of Inooms, overalls, underwear, &c. It is alieady calculated that one- half the manufacturing in San Francisco is done by Chinese. Tlit (ilasglow Abstainers' Union have for sometime past conducted cookery clasps m tlieii mission district?, and in oulei still fuithei to promote the object they have in view, they airangpd for a competition in domestic cookery, which took place in Apnl last ; and as it excited considerable intciest, and was most successful, they have been encouraged to make aiiangcment for a Fecond competition. The puze-list is well apportioned, and encouiagcs competition in making bioth, pea soup, rice-soup from bones, lentil «.oup, lush stew, &o. ; in the boiling of beef, potatoes, &c. ; in the cooking of tiipe, steak, mutton-chop, .aid the like :as also of baking potato, wheat-meal, and bai ley-meal scones ; and a number of other dishes suitable to tho working man's table and within his means. Tin; Rivrii Plate Bank Fr\uds. — Wai den and Watteis weieeach sentenced to 12 yeais' penal servitude, "sufficient," says the Pall Mall Gazette, " to break the life of any men in their position. The exemplary sc\eiity of these sentences) is no doubt calculated to strike tenor into the minds of all those who at present have not yet been found out in similar malpiacticesNo one in the City for one moment believes that Messrs Wai den and Waiters are the only persons who deseive 12 years' penal servitude. If justice weie done all round, there are a good many who would be accompanying these two unfortunates to their future abiding place ; but for the present they have escaped detection. It is to be hoped, however, that the sentences may serve as a deterrent, and help to enforce and widen the range of that salutary rule of the Stock Exchange which seeks to put an end to the opening of speculative accounts for bank employees." Rats and Mice.— lf you wish to destroy them get a packet of Hill's Magic VtRMiN Xii iißin packets, Cd, 9d, and Is, to be obtained oX-ill storekeepers, or from T. B. Hn.L by enclosing an exria stamp. One Shilling.— Francis J. Shortts' Popular Art Union.— Ten first-class Oil Paintings by celebrated artists. 5000 tickets at Is The prices are m ignificent and costly. Country <.übscribers sending stamps or otherwise will have tickets by return post. Enclose stamped envelope for reply — FkAnclS J. Shoktt, 140, Queen -street, Auckland. — [Advt.] Like in the Busk— Then and Now. — It is generally supposed that in the bush we have in put up with many discomforts and privations in the sVape of food Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to T. B. Hilt, who has himself dwelt in tho bush, if food does consist chiefly of tinned meats his ColonxAL Sauce gives to them a most delectable flavour, making them as well of the plainest food most enjoyable, and instead as hard biscuits and indigestible damper his Improved Colonial Baking Powder makes the very best bread, scones, calces, and pastry far superior and more wholesome than yeast or leaven. Sold by all storekeepers who can obtaia it from 9-9^ mwtant i» /Mctlutf*