272

Materia Medica.

Part II.

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wine by the addition of sugar. As the grape advances tomaturity, the quantity of sugar in it increases, while that ofmalic acid diminishes : it, however, never disappears entirely.When thoroughly ripe, the grape is one of the most agree-able fruits It is cooling, antiseptic and nutritions, and wheneaien in considerable quantity, diuretic and gently laxative.In inflammatory diseases, and all others where acids are in-dicated, grapes form an excellent article of diet.

Off —Sun-raisins.

Fkuctus siccatusvitis vinifer.£:, vulgo Uva passa. Ed.

UVJE PASSjE SOLE SICCATiE. Dub.

TJvje PAs.h.E; baccae praeparata:. Lond.

Raisins are grapes which have been carefully dried. Bythis means not only the water they contained is dissipated,but the quantity of acid seems to be diminished. They be-come more saccharine mucilaginous, and laxative, than therecent grape, but are less cooling.

Off.— Sherry.

ViNUM ALBUM

hispanum : fructus succus fermentatus.

Ed

Vinum ; Vinum album Hispanicum. Lond.

Wine is the juice of the grape altered by fermentation.The numerous varieties of wine depend principally on theproportion of sugar contained in the must, and the mannerof its fermentation. When the proportion of sugar is suffi-cient, and the fermentation complete, the wine is perfect andgenerous : if the quantity of sugar be too large, part of it re-mains undecomposed, as the fermentation is languid, and thewine is sweet and luscious : if, on the contrary, it be toosmall, the wine is thin and weak; and if it be bottled beforethe fermentation be completed, it will pi-oceed slowly in thebottle, and, on drawing the cork, the wine will sparkle in theglass, as, for example, Champaigne. When the must is sepa-rated from the husk of the grape before it is fermented, thewine has little or no colour : these are called White wines.If, on the contrary, the husks are allowed to remain in themust while the fermentation is going on, the alcohol dissolvesthe colouring matter of the husks, and the wine is coloured:such are called Red wines. Besides, in these principal cir-cumstances, wmes vary much in flavour.