Vinum Hordeaceum, barley-wine Vinum regionum septentrionalium; sometimes bira.

Ale produces colics, and is occasionally, when not well fermented, acescent; but does not produce calcareous diseases, as has been asserted. Those who drink ale are stronger than those who drink wine; and those who do not drink strong liquors are said not to be able to labour so well as those who do; but this does not appear to be invariably true. Ale-drinkers are fat, occasionally gouty, but, on the whole, healthy. Cordials may fit the person for extraordinary exertions, but should not be commonly used. Ale, however, must not be considered as one of these. When well fermented it is an wholesome beverage, and seems only to disagree with those subject to asthma, or any disorder of the respiratory or occasionally the digestive organs. See Drinks, Beer, Porter.

If malt liquor, of any degree of strength, is become flat and acid, as it is used, it should be drawn out of the cask into a jug, in which as many drams of powdered chalk should be put as pints of liquor; thus an effervescence will be raised, a sprightly, though not very agreeable, taste will be restored to the liquor, and its acidity will be destroyed.

Ale being in some countries cheaper than wine, hath occasioned it to be medicated for the same purposes; and there are two ways of impregnating malt liquors with medicinal substances; first, by macerating the ingredients in the ale after it is duly fermented; secondly, by adding them to the liquor while it is fermenting, that by the power of fermentation the medicinal virtues may more fully be extracted; of nutmeg, for instance, one dram powdered will flavour a large vat of fermenting ale, but when the fermentation ceases, it flavours but a very small quantity. Branches of the spruce fir. fermented with beer, render it wholesome, antiscorbutic, and useful in cutaneous diseases. It is the plea-santest form of turpentine; and many who have begun it as a medicine, have continued it as a luxury.

The following is an agreeable bitter, and far pref ble to any of the purls.

Cerevisia amara. Bitter stomachic ale.

R. Rad. gent. cort. limon. rec. aa iv. piper, long.

. eerevis. Cong. i. infund. sine calore.

Cerevisia antiscorbutica. Antiscorbutic ale.

R. Fol. cochl. hort. rec. m. viij. ras. guaiac. j. sem, coriand. ij. fol. senn. ss. infund. in cerevis. recent, durant. fermentat. Of these medicated ales lb ss. may be taken night and morning.

Various other impregnations of ale have been used as diet drinks or medicines. We find in the old dispensatories, ale against the gout; for the eyes; for the head, etc. Vulgar practice still retains an infusion in ale of some virtue; viz. of the broom ashes, which contain an alkali, with the diuretic oil of the broom. Syrup of ale consists of the ale inspissated before it is attenuated by fermentation, and is little more titan a mucilaginous infusion of malt, employed as a demulcent, in the diseases for which this -class of medicines is used. Gill ale is an infusion of ground ivy, and supposed to heal internal wounds, and to relieve diseases of the breast. Dr. Butler's purging ale is indeed purgative, from containing senna; but has numerous other ingredients, which tend to no one purpose unless it be slightly expectorant, Ale berry is a sudorific, and consists of ale boiled with bread and mace.