Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Absinthe

  • Chapter
Vincent van Gogh: Chemicals, Crises and Creativity

Abstract

Absinthe was in vogue during the nineteenth century and the beginning of ours. It was a clear green from the bottle and then, upon gentle dilution with water, displayed a beautiful pale-yellow opalescence. Artists painted and poets personified; men and women embraced the ritual of presentation as well as the appearance, taste, and excitement of this alcoholic drink. Some of the most creative people of the nineteenth century were included. Were they exposed to new ideas, exotic experiences, unique feelings, (a different view of a “Night Café”), perceptions that were otherwise unrealizable? Unfortunately, too much absinthe wracked your brains, exacted a price, and shortened your life.

If there were any difference in the composition [of paints] that’s what would interest me more. And in paint there is adulteration just as there is in wines, and how can you judge accurately when you, like me, do not know chemistry? Vincent to Theo, letter 642, from Auvers-sur-Oise, June 17, 1890.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References and notes

  1. Schmidt H. 1915. l’Absinthe. l’Aliénation mentale et la criminalité. Rapport fait au nom de la commission d’hygiène publique de la chambre des députés. Annales d’Hygiene Publique et de Médicine Légale 4th series, 23: 121–133.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Adams B. 1980. Picasso’s absinth [e] glasses: six drinks to the end of an era. Artforum 18: 30–33.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Motet A. 1859. Considérations générales sur l’alcoolisme et plus particulièrement des effets toxiques produits sur l’homme. Medical thesis: University of Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Marcé [L]. 1864. Sur l’action toxique de l’essence d’absinthe. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des Séances de l Académie des Sciences (Paris) 58: 628–629.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Magnan [V]. 1869. Epilepsie alcoolique; action spéciale de l’absinthe: épilepsie absinthique. Comptes rendu des seances et mémoires de la société de biologie (Paris) 4th series, 5: 156–161.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Magnan [V]. 1874. On the comparative action of alcohol and absinthe. The Lancet vol 2 for 1874: 410–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Magnan [V] & Fillassier A. 1912. Alcoholism and degeneracy. International Eugenics Conference (London), pp 367–379.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Amory R. 1868. Experiments and observations on absinth[e] and absinthism. The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 78: 68–71 & 83–85.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ponchon R. 1925. La Muse au Cabaret. Paris: Bibliothèque-Charpentier, Fasquelle Éditeurs.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Goodwin D. 1988. Alcohol and the Writer. Kansas City & New York: Andrews & McMeel.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Flower D & Maas H. 1967. The Letters of Ernest Dowson. p 35, (letter to Arthur Moore, February 15, 1889). Cranbury, New Jersey: Associated University Presses Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Wolff A. 1881. Le Figaro (Paris). April 10, as quoted by Moffett CS. 1986. The New Painting: Impressionism 1874–1886. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Brasher CWJ. 1930. Absinthe and absinthe drinking in England. TheLancet Vol 1 for 1930: 944–946.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. HulskerJ. 1990. Vincent and Theo van Gogh: A Dual Biography, pp 401–404. Ann Arbor: Fuller Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  15. HulskerJ. op. cit. p 322.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Conrad B.III. 1988. Absinthe, History in a Bottle. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Anonymous. 1873. Absinthism. The Lancet Vol 1 for 1873: 22.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Anonymous. 1898. The consumption of alcohol in France. The Lancet Vol 2 for 1898: 1603.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Anonymous. 1906. Alcohol in France. The Lancet Vol 2 for 1906: 1531.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Anonymous. 1912. The consumption of alcohol in France. The Lancet Vol 2 for 1912: 794.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Anonymous. 1903. The absinthe evil. The Lancet Vol 2 for 1903: 620.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Delahaye M-C. 1983. L’Absinthe Historie de la Fee Verte. Paris: Berge r-Levrault.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Anonymous. 1868. Absinthe. American Journal of Pharmacy 40: 356–360.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Walker EE. 1906. The effects of absinthe. Medical Record 70: 568–572.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Duplais P. 1855. Traité des Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools ou le Liquoriste et le Distillateur Modernes. Versailles: Chez l’Auteur.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Maron SH Se Prutton CF. 1958. Principles of Physical Chemistry, pp 168–170. New York: The Macmillan Company.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Arnold WN, Dalton TP, Loftus LS & Conan PA. 1991. A search for santonin in Artemisia pontica, the other wormwood of old absinthe. Journal of Chemical Education 68: 27–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Saintsbury G. 1920. Notes on a Cellar-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Magnan [V]. 1890. Des principaux signes cliniques de l’absinthisme. Bulletin de la Société de Médecine publique et d’hygiene professionelle (Paris) 13: 349–363.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Heeger EF. 1956. Handbuch des Arznei- und Gewürz-pßanzenbaues Drogengewinnung, pp 268–274. Berlin: Deutscher Brauernverlag.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Baldwin E. 1943. An in vitro method for the chemotherapeutic investigation of anthelminthic potency. Parasitology 35: 89–111.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Anderson FJ. 1977. An Illustrated History of the Herbals. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Brossi A, Venugopalan B, Dominguez Gerpe L, Yeh HJC, Flippen-AndersonJL, Buchs P, Luo XD, Milhous W, & Peters W. 1988. Arteether, a new antimalarial drug: synthesis and antimalarial properties. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 31: 645–650.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Arnold WN. 1989. Absinthe. Scientific American 260: 112–117.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Council of Europe. 1973. Natural Flavouring Substances, their Sources, and added Artificial Flavouring Substances. Strasbourg: Maisonneuve.

    Google Scholar 

  36. SimonsenJL. 1949–1957. The Terpenes. vol I-V. 2nd ed. rev. London & New York: The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Pinder AR. 1960. The Chemistry of the Terpenes. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Ruzicka L. 1932. The life and work of Otto Wallach. Journal of the Chemical Society Part 1 for 1932: 1582–1597.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Bredt J. 1893. Über die Constitution des Camphers und einiger seiner Derivate. Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft 26: 3047–3057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Semmler FW. 1900. Über Tanaceton und seine Derivate. Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Geseüschafi 33: 275–277.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Rice KC & Wilson RS. 1976. (-)-3-Isothujone, a small nonnitrogenous molecule with antinociceptive activity in mice. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 19: 1054–1057.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Srinivas SR. 1986. Atlas of Essential Oils. New York: Anadams. Note: Analyses of oils from wild wormwood, growing at different elevations, have also been reported:- Chialva F, Liddle PAP & Doglia G. 1983. Chemotaxonomy of wormwood, Artemisia absinthium. 1. Composition of the essential oils of several chemotypes. Lebensmittel- Untersuchung und -Forschung 176: 363–366.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Hurabielle M, Tillequin F & Paris M. 1977. Étude chimique de l’huile essentielle d’ Artemisia pontica. Planta Medica Zeitschrift für Arzneipflanzenforschung 31: 97–102.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Chialva F & Liddle PAP. 1981. Sur la composition de l’huile essentielle de Artemisia pontica cultivé en Piémont. Rivista Italiana E.P.P.O.S. 62: 350–352.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Formàcek V & Kubeczka KH. 1982. Essential Oils Analysis by Capillary Gas Chromatography and Carbon-13 NMR Spectroscopy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Hilal SH, El-Alfy TS & El-Sherei MM. 1980. Investigation of the volatile oil of Hyssopus officinalis. Egyptian Journal of Phamaceutical Science 19: 177–184. Note: Pinocamphone (43%), isopinocamphone (31%) and small concentrations of 30 other terpenes were found in the oil from North American, cultivated hyssop:- Lawrence BM. 1984. Hyssop oil. Perfumer andFlavorist 9: 38.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Enjalbert F, Bessiere JM, Pellecuer J, Privat G & Doncet G. 1983. Analysis of the essential oil of balm. Fitoterapia 54: 59–65. Note: Other analyses have been summarized:- Lawrence BM. 1989. Melissa oil. Perfumer andFlavorist 14: 75–76.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Karawya MS, Hifnawy MS, & El-Hawary SS. 1977. Volatile oil of Artemisia judaica. VII International Congress of Essential Oils, Kyoto, Japan, Item # 106, p 359. Note: Differences due to plant location have also been reported:- Fleisher Z & Fleisher A. 1990. The essential oils of Artemisia judaica from the Sinai and Negev Deserts. Aromatic plants of the Holy Land and the Sinai, Part II. Journal of Essential Oil Research 2: 271–273.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Geissman TA & Irwin MA. 1970. Chemical contributions to taxonomy and phylogeny in the genus Artemisia. Pure & Applied Chemistry 21: 167–180.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Graphel FG. 1901. Turpentine poisoning. British Medical Journal vol 1 for 1901: 340.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Anonymous. 1889. Notes on essential oils from Messrs. Schimmel & Sons annual report – “Camphor oil”. American Journal of Pharmacy 61: 313–314.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Wortis SB, Coombs HC & Pike FH. 1931. Monobrominated camphor. A standard convulsant. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 26: 156–161.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Muskens LJJ. 1928. Epilepsy. New York: William Wood & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Pike FH, Eisberg CA, McCulloch WS & Rizzolo A. 1929. Some observations on experimentally produced convulsions: the localization of the motor mechanisms from which the typical clonic movements of epilepsy arise. American Journal of Psychiatry 9: 259–283.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Keith HM. 1935. Experimentally produced convulsions. Effect on thujone convulsions of insulin and of variations in water content of brain. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 33: 353–359.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Opper L. 1939. Pathologic picture of thujone and monobromated camphor convulsions: comparison with pathologic picture of human epilepsy. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 41: 460–470.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Sampson WL & Fernandez L. 1939. Experimental convulsions in the rat. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 65: 275–280.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Kalinowsky LB & Hoch PH. 1961. Somatic Treatments in Psychiatry. Pharmacotherapy; Convulsive, Insulin, Surgical, other Methods. New York & London: Grune & Stratton.

    Google Scholar 

  59. von Meduna LJ. 1937. Die Konvulsiotherapie der Schizophrenie. Halle: C. Marhold.

    Google Scholar 

  60. von Meduna L & Friedman E. 1939. The convulsive-irritative therapy of the psy-choses. A survey of more than three thousand cases. Journal of the American Medical Association 112: 501–509.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Sollmann T. 1948. A Manual of Pharmacology and its Applications to Therapeutics and Toxicology. 7th ed. Philadelphia & London: WB Saunders Company.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Anonymous. 1959. Aetiology of pica. The Lancet Vol 2 for 1959: 281.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Carlander O. 1959. Aetiology of pica. TheLancetVol 2 for 1959: 569.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Arnold WN. 1988. Vincent van Gogh and the thujone connection. Journal of the American Medical Association 260: 3042–3044.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Wilfred Niels Arnold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1992 Birkhäuser Boston

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Arnold, W.N. (1992). Absinthe. In: Vincent van Gogh: Chemicals, Crises and Creativity. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2976-6_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2976-6_4

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Boston

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7742-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2976-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation