The philosophy of eating. By Albert J. Bellows, M.D.

236 ALCOHOL NEVER USEFUL IN ITSELF.

given us laws of nutrition, and, as in all.other important matters, has fixed a penalty for the breach of His
laws.
If alcoholic drinks are useful then, they are useful
not on account of, but in spite of, the alcohol contained
in them, and are useful in proportion as sugar, starch,
and other nutritious principles, together with osmazome,
predominate over alcohol; and thus we have a standard
by which to test the value of alcoholic drinks. That
article is best which contains the most agreeable osmazome and the least alcohol, the elements of nutriment
being of little consequence, unless, as sometimes happens, the stomach will receive nutriment through the
medium of aromatic beverages better than in any other
combination. This, however, in my experience and
observation in a practice of forty years, is never only
a temporary expedient, and in cases of extreme debility, which give place to more substantial nutriment,
containing no alcohol, the moment the digestive powers
so react as to be able to bear them. It may therefore
be desirable to have an analysis of the wines and other
beverages in common use.