In the economy of nature, wine has always held a prominent position. Corn, and wine, and oil, represent the highest agricultural development of the vegetable world - the corn and oil to nourish and sustain, and the wine to invigorate, refresh, and solace life.

In considering the subject of diet, therefore, whether for health or sickness, so important an element cannot be ignored, seeing that, while, in health it contributes largely to the enjoyment of life, in sickness it is a powerful auxiliary to the Physician under many morbid conditions affecting both body and mind.

In all ages, in wine-producing countries especially, where it is best known and appreciated, wine, rationally used, has been regarded as a valuable means of promoting health, of prolonging life, and of adding to its enjoyment; but the penalties which follow the abuse of any of those gifts, provided and intended by the Creator for the benefit of His creatures, as certainly follow its misuse. This requires no argument to demonstrate, it is within the knowledge of every thinking observer, nor does it furnish any reason for the disuse of wine, for there are few of the most valuable medicaments which are not poisonous if used without discretion. With these prefatory remarks we may proceed to consider briefly the constitution and varieties of wine, its natural and commercial alcoholic force, and its hygienic properties.

Strictly defined, wine is the fermented juice of the grape. But this theoretical definition is not quite carried out in practice. When perfectly fermented, wine is technically said to have become "dry," it means that the whole of its sugar has been converted into alcohol, within certain limits, however, inasmuch as the production of alcohol, at a certain point arrests the fermentation and further production of spirit, leaving a margin of unconverted sugar (where that constituent is in excess) to enhance the richness of the wine, as in the instance of the celebrated Sauterne, known as Chateau D'Yquem.

For the same reason extraneous spirit added to the fermenting "must" has the effect of arresting further action, and retaining the unconverted sugar as an element of richness in the liquid. This is the course followed, - with recent modifications and exceptions, - in the manufacture of the Port wine of commerce, and also of the red Tarragona wines of Spain, intended to imitate and compete with Port in the English market.

Some wines are only partially fermented, in consequence of the over-richness of the "must" through the elimination of a considerable proportion of its watery constituent by natural or artificial means; as in the instance of the Essenz or Ausbruch wines of Hungary, of which the Imperial Tokay, a wine of wonderful richness, is the highest type. Others again are not fermented at all, but the grape juice is simply inspissated or concentrated by slow boiling or simmering, as in the Tent wine made at Rota in Spain, and used generally for communion purposes in the Anglican Church. Of course under such circumstances this is merely a syrup or conserve of grape juice, and does not contain a particle of spirit in, its natural state; but as it is customary to add from 20 to 30 per cent, of spirit to it by way of preservative, it is put upon much the same footing as fermented wine, in respect of alcohol.

Effervescing or sparkling wines are the last variety. In them the fermentative action is not only arrested but imprisoned as it were, to form the "mousse," as it is called, which is at once their peculiarity and their charm.

Dry wines, whether still or sparkling, are preferable to all other kinds from a medical point of view, chiefly on account of their greater freedom from the objectionable unconverted sugar and their more easy digestion, in addition to which their quality is invariably higher, as being under no disguise.

In almost every other respect the grand characteristics of wine are common to all, subject to certain modifica tions arising from climate or soil, from the latter of which, especially, some very important hygienic qualities are derived.

Colour is a distinction of little importance to the present question. It is obtained from the skin of the grape, when the bruised fruit is fermented in place of the expressed juice; - red or violet when the black grape is used, from the blue colouring matter of the skins, and brownish-yellow in case of the white grape, from the apothema, which becomes darker by exposure to the air. But in many cases colour is an artificial production, notably in the case of brown sherries, in which it is due to an admixture of boiled wine, called vino de color; the normal colour of pure sherry, for example, is a pale greenish or brownish yellow, deepening with age. For these reasons pale sherries are to be preferred to golden or brown, especially as being purer.

The natural strength of wine is - within a limited range - from 18 to 30 per cent, proof spirit (10.5 to 17.25 alcohol) which is rarely if ever exceeded. French Claret is a type of the lowest, and the wines of the Pyrenees Orientale and of Spain generally, are types of the highest strength.

The majority, however, occupy the middle place, and comprise Sauternes, Burgundies red and white, the wines of the Rhine, the Moselle and the Danube, the Italian Peninsula (excepting Marsala) and the Grecian Archipelago, which are all within 20 and 25 per cent, proof spirit (11.5 to 14.5 alcohol). These wines, as a rule, are brought to market in a nearly pure state, or with such inconsiderable additions of spirit as to be of little consequence.

It may be taken for granted that no sparkling or effervescing wines can ever exceed the strength of 24 per cent, proof spirit (13.5 alcohol): their real variety, apart from the different sorts of wine employed, consists in the different proportions of sugar added as "liqueur" in the course of manufacture, and which varies from the pure or "brut" wine up to 18 and 20 per cent.; the general average in the English market is midway, about 10 per cent., although the demand for the "dry" kinds is greatly on the increase. In prescribing these wines, therefore, the medical man is dealing with known forces as far as alcohol is concerned; but it is very different in respect of Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala.

The Port wine of commerce is never under 35 per cent proof spirit (20 alcohol), the average being 38.5 up to 42 proof spirit (22 to 24 alcohol); while Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala, although commencing a trifle lower, or at about 31.5 proof spirit (18 alcohol) advance almost if not quite as far.

Thus a rich vintage Port wine at 42 per cent., the usual strength of high-class Port wine, must have had 33 per cent. of proof spirit, or one third of its bulk of ordinary brandy added to bring it to that condition.

The same may be said of the cheaper red Tarragona wines lately introduced, which bid fair to supersede the real Port wines in Hospital practice. In its pure state Tarragona is a generous wine of considerable natural body and strength, and likely, if its use were encouraged, to become a favourite and wholesome beverage with the million.

Although Sherries and other white Spanish wines are, in general, largely fortified for the English market, there are, amongst the drier sorts - Montilla, Amontillado, Manzanilla - and the lighter kinds termed Vino de pasto, many which would only be injured by being fortified, and are consequently - the higher classes in particular - usually exempt from that debasing operation. Some of these are unequalled for sanitary purposes, especially in dyspeptic cases where the bitter principle (in Amontillado not unlike that of an orange-pip) appears to act as a tonic.

No wine has been so extensively imitated - the usual penalty of admitted excellence - as so-called Sherry; Hamburg especially is facile princeps in manufacturing an article called Elbe Sherry - largely recommended in certain quarters, composed principally of Elbe water and potato-spirit, flavoured in an ingenious manner with various extracts and ethers too numerous to mention - which should be shunned as poison under whatever auspices it may present itself. There is scarcely a white wine vended which is not called Sherry, and courts consumption under that popular and attractive pseudonym.

It would be out of place in a work of this description to show the different means by which the natural characteristics of wine are artificially heightened, when weak, or supplied, when altogether wanting - such as the elder flower on the Rhine and Moselle, the chamomile in Spain, and the black currant leaf and raspberry in France to give "bouquet," the elderberry, blackberry and bilberry to give colour, in Portugal and Spain. These are harmless, compared with the abominably per nicious practice of "fortifying" beyond what is necessary for purposes of preservation, where potato or beet-spirit, or some such cheap and nasty production is the agent employed.