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ever,

compels

the

medical

profession

to

require

a

reliable

spirit,

for

unless

alcohol

is

completely

eliminated

from

the

organism,

its

effects,

being

cumulative,

are

unsatisfactory;

their

effects

increase

in

geometrical progression

with

each

succeeding

dose.

Care

must

be

exercised,

therefore,

in

se-

lecting

whiskey

or

other

spirits

for

general

use.

Medical

opinion

seems

only

to

recognize

the

fact

that

new

whiskey

contains

oils

which

are

assumed

to

be

amylic

alcohol

or

fusel-oil,

and

which

must

be

got

rid

of

by

rectification

or

age.

Little

attention

is

given

to

the

other

essential

oils,

the

secon-

dary

products

of

the

more

correct

materials

of

distillation.

These

may

be

either

useful

or

detrimental

in

that

they

assist

or

retard

the

elimination

of

the

alcohol.

A

properly

distilled

and

well-matured

whiskey

made

from

a

fully

malted

barley

is

the

one

to

be

selected.

The

essen-

tial

oil

of

malt

being

a

bland

and

harmless

substance,

fulfils

a

very

useful

therapeutic

office,

as

by

its

diaphoretic

action

upon

the

skin

it

promotes

and

increases

excretion,

and

con-

sequently

mitigates

the

accumulative

effects

of

the

alcohol.

Both

pure

malt

whiskey

as

well

as

genuine

cognac

brandy

possess

beneficent

qualities

in

their

secondary

products,

the

resulting

ethers

of

which

have

peculiarly

pleasing

char-

acteristics.

Amylic

alcohol,

on

the

contrary

(the

essential

oil

of

grain

whiskey),

is

poisonous

even

in

minute

doses,

and

is

most

difficult

to

eliminate

from

the

whiskey

by

any

process.

Its

deleterious

effect

may

be

recognized

by

a

paralyzing

influ-

ence

upon

the

skin,

which,

closing

the

doors

of

escape

for

the

alcohol

when

consumed,

produces

feverish

symptoms,

furred

tongue,

thirst

and

headache.

Whiskey

containing

it

has

earned,

therefore,

the

reputation

of

being

"the

Devil

in

Solution."

It

is

also

necessary

to

avoid

spirits

of

any

kind

to

which

saccharine

or

other

softening

ingredients

have

been

added.

For

some

reason

not

apparent

in

the

present

state

of

our

knowledge

of

the

chemistry

of

digestion,

the

tendency

of

sugar

to

turn

acid

on

the

stomach

is

increased

when

taken

in

combination

with

alcohol.

Alcohol

plays

an

important

part

in

the

arrest

of

phthisis

particularly

among

those

who

have

delicate

skins

and

per-

spire

freely

the

advantageous

effects

produced

in

these

cases

by

the

entire

abandonment

of

all

medication,

and

the

em-

ployment

of

considerable

doses

of

spirit

is

well

established.

All

those

cases

which

are

characterized

by

weakness

of

the

heart,

failing

circulation,

inability

to

take

food,

loss

of

power

of

sleep,

and

exhaustion,

come

under

the

category

of

suitable

cases

in

which

the

best

liqueur

brandy

or

fine

old

malt

whiskey

is

indicated

as

the

most

suitable

form

of

alco-

hol

that

can

be

used,

no

matter

how

much

one

has

to

pay

for

it.

The

physiological

action

of

alcohol

of

whatever

variety

is

greatly

modified

by

climate,

habits

of

life,

and

the

hourly

changes

in

the

atmosphere.

A

humid

climate,

whether

it

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