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Show SUGAR-CANE. SUGAR-CANE. 58 cured himself of a confirmed consumption by almost living on the conserveof roses. Avicenna records an instance of a sur- meats, and li« cepting England, in confections, preserves, sweet queurs *. vehicle to com<¢ Sugar, in the form of syrup, is an admirable s any alteravessel bing absor minute and convey tothe internal tive, mineral, or vegetable medicine. any preparation <6 Byits miscible propertyit diffuses minutely of the stomach e surfac the it may holdin solution, or union, on the orifices of of ty andintestines, and subjects it to the capaci prising cure performed on a patient, so nearly dying in a con- the smallest vessels. e ree in about six months time, excepting in strength, whichh was ever he than covered bydegrees. He is nowin better health beforein his life. <¢ Fontanus, Valeriola, and Forrestus, assert that they had patients cured of consumption of the lungs by a continued use of the conserve of roses; and Riverius knew an apothecary who sumption, that preparations were making for her funeral; and whowas not only perfectly restored to health, but became very fat, by eating a great quantity of conserve ofroses *. Foreign journals are full of histories of consumptions cured by this medicine. <¢ There are instances where people have scarcely taken any other nutriment than conserve of roses. Some have eaten a pound, and a pound andan half, of this conserve every day: os MiQC INI lS Pa ae) 59 three-fourths of this conserve are sugar. ‘© The virtues of sugar are not confined to its nutritive and balsamic qualities. It resists putrefaction, and preserves all substances,—flesh, fruits, and vegetables,—from corruption. “¢ It has a great solvent power, andhelps the solution of fat, oily, and incongruous foods and mixtures. It promotes their maceration and digestion in the’stomach, and qualifies the effects of digestion to the powers of the lacteals +. ‘¢ Jor this reason sugar is muchused in foreign cookery, and so much introducedat the tables of the luxurious in F rance, and also in Italy, Portugal, Spain; and indeed in every country, exe deserves to be remembered. “ Si non timeremdici c intentione mirabilia, et referrem summam, qua egritudo cum ea Perrenil res cujus ad hoc, ut “Pe pervencrit ad mortem, et vocaretur ad ipsam, ie0, Gonec « prok nt * ih a surrexit a ejus unc quidam frater necessaria. suntcura mortuihac ucteam, et sanat: et revixit tempore lonso. ott . est mihi 3 ‘ ous fe : oe est, et impinguata est; et non summum icam WUe, ; ejUS, S ; , = quod comedit de zuccaro rosaceo.”’ fen. 10, tr. 5. c. 6. p. 668. : Lib. is a obtundit, salsa mitiora ot \cria acida obtundi austera suaviora reddit, cria le lenit, acida insipidis gratum pare saporemtribuit ludam, 7 3 atque ut uno verbi conc videri omnium saporum domitor Pog wr videri potest ; nihilque absque saccharo feré ventri hay Ess ak £g Shes, panificio operi additur, vinis miscetur, aqua enim saccharo suavior made into a «¢ Sugar alone has many medicinal virtues; and, ps somecommon syrup with water, and disguised, and perha cures many rmed perfo what improved by vegetableadditions, has hula, scrop and s, ricket in diseases, from impoverished blood, cs have that have bafiled the most skilful physicians ; and empiri s and ptisan term they accordingly availed themselves of what medicated syrups.” The balsamic and fattening properties of sugar are promi not and made, is it nently visible in all parts of the world where confined to the human race. The celebrated historian Mr. Bryan Edwards was too accurate in his researches to suffer a fact, so interesting as this, to escape his observation. In his History of the West Indies he has drawna faithful representation of a plantationin the season of making sugart. He says,—‘+ So palatable, salutary, and nourishing is the juice of the cane, that every individual of the animal creation, drinking freely of it, derives health and vigour from its use. The meagre and sickly among the negroes exhibit a surprising alteration in a few weeks, after the mill is set in action. The labouring horses, oxen, and mules, though almost constantly at work during this season, yet being indulged with plenty of the green tops ofthis noble plant, and some of the scummings from the boiling-house, improve more than at any other period of the year. << It must be observed, that muscovado, or what is called moist sugar, is laxative; and that, in using the juice of the cane, either.as a luxury or a medicine, this also is of a laxative atuis et atuis et salubriorque redditur.—Nonnii de Re Cibaria, lib. i. c AT. p. 152 sa* “ Si perquam, parce ultima mensa devoretur, concoctionem juvat, tictatem ferétollit.’-—Alex. Petronius, De Victu Romanorum, p. 328. + January, February, March, and April. |