Whisky is a distillate, in a pot still, of the fermented mash of a cereal or mixtures of cereals, containing all the natural elements of the grain and the ethyl alcohol and its congeners, volatile at the temperatures of distillation. It contains also the coloring matters and other soluble products extracted from the wood (oak), in which it is stored and any new compounds arising during storage. Potable whisky is kept in storage for four years.
--Definition by Bureau of Chemistry.
Whisky is used extensively as a medicine. Physicians differ widely in regard to its medicinal value. The greater number of physicians think it has medicinal value. A very respectable number look upon whisky as unsuitable for any medicinal purpose whatever.
The ethyl alcohol in whisky, when taken in moderation, is oxidized and thus, to that extent, becomes a food product. The damaging effects of whisky, however, are so great as to render it impractical for food purposes. As a beverage whisky was used extensively in this country before it was prohibited by Constitutional amendment and the Volstead Act was passed regulating the enforcement of the Constitutional provision. At the present time whisky for beverage purposes can only be obtained illegally. The sources of all illegal alcoholic beverages are shrouded in mystery, and severe and often fatal results follow their illegal use. The Volstead Act prescribes the conditions in which they may be used for medicinal purposes.
