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Absinthe the drink

In discussing drinks flavoured with anise, one of which is absinthe, the food and travel writer for a popular home magazine attributes part of their appeal to the fact that they “call up a sort of sweet decadence because of a history rich in carnal and narcotic connotation.” The same writer says, “What anise drinks offer is a sweet snifter of history, an immensely evocative tipple—none more so than the absinthe that was the cocaine of the nineteenth century.” It is no wonder that the term “absinthe,” which refers to an aperitif popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, evokes thoughts of narcotic intrigue, euphoria, eroticism, and decadent sensuality. All of these qualities became associated with the drink during what one writer calls “the great collective binge” that occurred between 1880 and 1914, especially in France, but also in other parts of Europe and the United States. Since that time, absinthe has been banned in all countries except Spain.

Effects of absinthe

Since absinthe was banned in most countries within the first two decades of the twentieth century, not much modern research has been done on the effect of absinthe poisoning. But even as early as 1892, medical researchers were using absinthe in experiments in an attempt to determine the origin of the convulsions associated with epilepsy. According to these studies, convulsions were easily produced in animals—and in humans—by administering absinthe. According to Dr. Isaac Ott, in a paper read at the American Neurological Association in New York in June 1892, “after the [subjects were injected] per jugular of two drops of essence of absinthe… the facial muscles begin with single clonic spasms, passing into a state of tremulous spasm.” Then the “order of convulsions passes rapidly down the body until the tonic spasm in the limbs is extremely marked,” after which “tonic spasm gives way to a long series of clonic twitches.” Along with the convulsions were “profuse salivation and sometimes escape of urine” and on occasion “unconsciousness and coma.” Says Ott, “It is evident that in this medicant we have a most valuable means to study the origin and seat of the convulsive disorder.”

Wormwood

Ironically, the Greek word apsinthion, from which the term absinthe was derived, means undrinkable. The common English term is wormwood, which is usually associated with bitterness or extreme sorrow. Oil of wormwood was used as a medicine in ancient times to kill intestinal worms, thus the name. Its effectiveness in this area was recognized over the centuries. In 1597, writing in his book Herball, John Gerard said that “Wormwood voideth away the wormes of the guts.” But, in spite of its meaning, according to those familiar with the effects of the drink, absinthe can produce “euphoria without drunkenness,” a “heightening of the senses,” and, in general, an effect similar to that produced by opium or cocaine. Overindulgence in the drink, however, can result in addiction, after which one can expect rapid mental and physical deterioration and a premature death.

Thujone

In an article in the November 25, 1988 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, Wilfred Niels Arnold, a member of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Kansas Medical Center, supports the theory that absinthe played a major role in van Gogh’s illness. Arnold is “convinced” that “during his last decade van Gogh developed an affinity for chemicals of the terpene class [one of which is the thujone found in absinthe] and that they contributed to his early demise.” Arnold refers to a 1961 study by R. E. Hemphill, who concludes that van Gogh “was a manic-depressive who developed confusional episodes and fits due to his addiction to absinthe. The toxic agent in absinthe was thujone.” He also points to some comments by Anton Kerssmakers, van Gogh’s frequent companion in 1884, who claimed that van Gogh usually had alcohol with him when he was painting and, to make matters worse, ate very little. Arnold refers to the Lautrec portrait of van Gogh sipping his absinthe and to van Gogh’s still-life portrait of himself with absinthe in hand. “It is clear,” said Arnold, “that van Gogh started drinking heavily after his arrival in Paris in 1886” and that “there are numerous anecdotes along these lines from relatives and friends.” Arnold contends that those such as van Gogh’s nephew who view his uncle’s drinking as only possibly “contributing” to van Gogh’s poor health have “confused” the literature by missing or under estimating his proclivity for absinthe” and “its damaging components in addition to alcohol.”

Historical absintheurs

Even though the early abusers of absinthe came from the lower class, by the mid-nineteenth century the green liquor was frequently indulged in by professionals in all walks of life, particularly by poets, writers, musicians, artists, wealthy merchants and social celebrities. Part of the attraction to the drink was that it exemplified, in part, the spirits of the times; it was fashionable to be daring, different, and merry – to indulge in unconventional behaviour and to experiment with new lifestyles. According to Donald Vogt, the 1850s and 1860s in France was “a parvenu period: get rich quick, show off, enjoy. Gamblers, profiteers, and demimondaines held the center of the stage… It was then that La Vie Parisienne, as a play, as a magazine, as a mode of life, became a byword for meretricious gaiety.” Absinthe became almost a symbol of the Bohemian spirit – absinthe that would stimulate the body and the brain, that would expand one’s consciousness. Literary men and artists were particularly drawn to the drink, believing that it would inspire them with new ideas and add fuel to the creative process. Not the least of the attraction to the drink was the prevailing belief that it was an aphrodisiac that would stimulate their sexual appetites and increase their sexual enjoyment.