THE SUGAR CANE.
585
Carbon .
Eq.
Eq. Wt.
Per cent.
12
... 72
... 44-44
Hydrogen .
10
... 10
... 6-18
Oxygen.
10
... 80
... 49-38
Anhydrous Sugar
1
... 162
... 100-00
Eq. Eq. Wt. Per cent.Anhydrous Sugar 1 ... 162 ... 94'74Water . 1 ... 9 ... 5‘2G
Crystallized Sugar 1 ... 171 ... 100‘OD
Pelig-ot (Ann. Chim. 67, 124) says, anhydrous sugar is composed of C l! H 9 O 9 .
Dr. Prout (Phil. Trans. 1827, p. 355) regards sugar as a secondary compound ofc <frbon and water. Dobereiner (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. 2, 735), on the other hand,'’levvs crystallized sugar as a carbonate of hydrocarbon. Dr. Prout found that while, in'™ e different varieties of sugar, the ratios of carbon to the elements of water varied, yet,'oat the relative quantity of hydrogen to oxygen was always iu the proportion to form"ater.
Physiological Effects, (a.) On vegetables. —Sugar appears to con-tribute directly to the nutrition of plants: the saccharine juices of theSu gar cane, of the maple, of the beet-root, &c. must be regarded asNutritive. Yet, it is somewhat remarkable, and apparently inconsistent' Vlt h this statement, that saccharine matter is found in the excretions ofPlants, as those formed by the nectariferous glands. Sugar appears to beSpecially adapted for the food of young plants, hence we find it generatedln many seeds (as peas, barley, &c.) during germination.
. (£•) On animals. —It is nutritive to some animals. Thus it is an'mportant constituent of milk, a liquid intended for the nourishment ofP'anunals during the first period of their existence. Many insectsEspecially the Lepidoptera , Hymenoptera , and Diptera ) feed on sugar 01 -saccharine liquids. Us asserted poisonous action on some Annelida ,J r ds, and frogs (vide Murray, App. Med. v. 411) requires confirmation.
Iat - a diet of sugar only is incapable of supporting the life of mammalsa hd birds has been fully proved by the experiments of Magendie {Ann.jC/tim. hi. 66, 1816) and Tiedemann and Gmelin (Muller’s Elem. ofby Baly, p. 482). Dogs and geese die when confined and fedo °Ely on sugar and water, with all the symptoms of starvation. Change. r "Iteration of diet, with the use of a certain portion of nitrogenous°d, seems essential to the vitality of these animals.
• w.) On man. —Sugar is employed by man principally on account of"gieeable taste, rather than as a direct source of nourishment; yet, ofof r l utr 'rive qualities few entertain any doubt. During the sugar seasonthe West India Islands, “ every negro on the plantations, and everyi n -' ,n . a l, eve n the dogs, grow fat” (Wright, Med. Plants of Jamaica ). Theqj) Uri0u s effects which have been ascribed to sugar are more imaginaryj o a " rea h Some individuals have consumed large quantities of it for ac .? series of years without suffering any ill consequences (Slare, Vindi-Sugars, 1715). Stark’s experiments (Stark’s Work, ed. by J. C.sio Ul bpp. 100 and 115, 1788) hardly admit of any legitimate conclu-eli'n ^ e ’ n S drawn therefrom, as to the action of sugar. The fondness ofpla • n ^° r su 8 ar may he regarded as a natural instinct, since nature, by;;;; u cin s it in mat, evidently intended sugar to form a part of theiri^j^hment during the first period of their existence. The popularf) r °f its having a tendency to injure the teeth seems most absurd, ass u ‘ rilare (op. cit.) has shewn. “ It has been alleged that the eating ofh F Sp °! ls c °i° ur °f an d corrupts the teeth ; this, however, provesa mistake, for no people on the earth have finer teeth than thel hat ° es * n Jamaica ” (Wright, op. cit.). It is a generally-received opinionSu gar has a tendency to cause flatulency and preternatural acidity