A Hodgepodge of Hangover History

7 snips

Jan 1, 2025

Dive into the fascinating history of hangovers, tracing their origins back to humanity's first fermenting adventures. Explore the delightful oddities of ancient and modern hangover cures, from raw cabbage to the notorious Bloody Mary. Discover how hangovers are portrayed in art and literature, featuring insights from figures like Toulouse-Lautrec. Delve into cultural perceptions and the ever-evolving relationship with alcohol, all while enjoying humorous anecdotes and historical context surrounding this universal experience.

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INSIGHT

Ancient Hangovers

Hangovers may predate humanity, originating from fermented fruit consumed by early ancestors.
Yeast and fruit, the components of natural fermentation, have existed for millions of years.

INSIGHT

Hangover Causes

The exact medical cause of hangovers remains uncertain, with several factors potentially contributing.
Dehydration, inflammation, low blood sugar, poor sleep, and toxic metabolites are all possibilities.

ANECDOTE

Pliny's Remedy

Pliny the Elder's owlet egg remedy, often cited as a hangover cure, actually targets intoxication.
This illustrates the difficulty of interpreting historical texts about hangovers.

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Humans probably started fermenting things on purpose by about 10,000 BCE. But when did they start discussing the aftereffects that come from drinking too much?

Research:

· Beringer, Guy. “Brunch: a plea.” Harper's Weekly, 1895. https://archive.org/details/archive_charlyj_001

· Bishop-Stall, Shaughnessy. “Hung Over: The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for the Cure.” Penguin Books. 2018.

· Bishop-Stall, Shaughnessy. “Weird Hangover Cures Through the Ages.” Lit Hub. 11/20/2018. https://lithub.com/weird-hangover-cures-through-the-ages/

· Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham. “The reader's handbook of allusions, references, plots and stories; with two appendices;.” https://archive.org/details/readershandb00brew/page/957/

· Danovich, Tove. “The Weird and Wonderful History of Hangover Cures.” 12/31/2015. https://www.eater.com/2015/12/31/10690384/hangover-cure-history

· Dean, Sam. “How to Say 'Hangover' in French, German, Finnish, and Many Other Languages.” Bon Appetit. 12/28/2012. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/how-to-say-hangover-in-french-german-finnish-and-many-other-languages

· Frazer, Sir James George. “The Golden Bough : a study of magic and religion.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3623/3623-h/3623-h.htm#c3section1

· “'Hair of the Dog that Bit you' in Dog, N. (1), Sense P.6.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/6646229330.

· “Hangover, N., Sense 2.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3221323975.

· Hanson, David J. “Historical evolution of alcohol consumption in society.” From Alcohol: Science, Policy and Public Health. Peter Boyle, ed. Oxford University Press. 2013.

· “Jag, N. (2), Sense 1.c.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3217891040.

· MacDonald, James. “The Weird Ways Humans Have Tried Curing Hangovers.” JSTOR Daily. 1/25/2016. https://daily.jstor.org/weird-ways-humans-tried-curing-hangovers/

· Nasser, Mervat. “Psychiatry in Ancient Egypt.” Bulletin of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Vol. 11. December 1987.

· Office of Communications, Princeton University. “Desires for fatty foods and alcohol share a chemical trigger.” 12/15/2004. https://pr.princeton.edu/news/04/q4/1215-galanin.htm

· O'Reilly, Jean. “No convincing scientific evidence that hangover cures work, according to new research.” Via EurekAlert. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/938938

· Paulsen, Frank M. “A Hair of the Dog and Some Other Hangover Cures from Popular Tradition.” The Journal of American Folklore , Apr. - Jun., 1961, Vol. 74, No. 292 (Apr. - Jun., 1961). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/537784

· Pittler, Max, et al. “Interventions For Preventing Or Treating Alcohol Hangover: Systematic Review Of Randomised Controlled Trials.” BMJ: British Medical Journal , Dec. 24 - 31, 2005, Vol. 331, No. 7531 (Dec. 24 - 31, 2005). https://www.jstor.org/stable/25455748

· Shears, Jonathon. “The Hangover: A Literary & Cultural History.” Liverpool University Press. 2020. Suddath, Claire. “A Brief History of Hangovers.” Time. 1/1/2009. https://time.com/3958046/history-of-hangovers/

· Van Huygen, Meg. “15 Historical Hangover Cures.” Mental Floss. 12/30/2016.

· Weinberg, Caroline. “The Science of Hangovers.” Eater. 12/31/2015. https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/12/31/10685644/hangover-cures-how-to-prevent-hungover

· Wills, Matthew. “Treating Wounds With Magic.” JSTOR Daily. 9/14/2019. https://daily.jstor.org/treating-wounds-with-magic/

· Wurdz, Gideon. “The Foolish Dictionary: An Exhausting Work of Reference to Un-certain English Words, Their Origin, Meaning, Legitimate and Illegitimate Use, Confused by a Few Pictures.” Robinson, Luce Company. 1904. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=71QYAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-71QYAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1

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