A New Inebriety
January 28, 1905
Summary
Doctors report on the dangers of ingesting large doses of ginger.
Transcription
The taking of ginger in the form of essence or strong tincture is revealed by a medical man as a growing form of inebriety both in this country and in America.
As its alcoholic strength is about double that of whisky or brandy, the deleterious results of excessive indulgence can be imagined.
The is one recorded case in which the daily dose of a victim of “gingerism” was increased from ten drops to a pint in the course of three years. Though the habit is more practiced in the United States than in England, there are numbers of chemists in London who admit that they have regular customers for the pungent essence, who buy comparatively large quantities every week.
The cause of the habit is nearly always the same. “Gingerists” are people with weary brains and disordered stomachs, who seek palliation of the results of overwork. They know that such drugs as morphine, chloral, cocaine and chloroform are accumulative in their effect upon the human system; they know also that ginger was the homely remedy of their youth for stomach troubles.
It seems incredible, but it is a fact, that from the taking of a few drops of this powerful carminative for indigestion a “gingerist” will grow into the habit of taking large doses, both as a tonic, a sedative and a palliative.
So far, inquiries show that women are as much addicted to “gingerism” as men, but the actual victims are difficult to trace, as essence of ginger is easily purchasable in any chemist’s shop by child or grown up person.
“It must be a very vitiated taste that can endure a large dose of tincture of ginger,” said a wholesale chemist yesterday. “But, of course, the same can be said of most violently acting drugs. Once there is a physical demand created for a particular stimulant, the palate is disregarded. It is the result which is looked forward to, not the immediate impression. In this connection, at least, the ordinary alcoholic drinker is more sane than the morphia taker or the ‘gingerist.’ He may put that in his mouth which steals away his brain, but at least he gets some physical sensation of pleasure in the operation. ‘Gingerism’ is a depraved form of drugging.”
The result of the practice seems to be a negation of the results aimed at. A doctor said yesterday that this form of inebriety, after giving relief at first, completely disorders the stomach and gives no relief to a busy brain.
As its alcoholic strength is about double that of whisky or brandy, the deleterious results of excessive indulgence can be imagined.
The is one recorded case in which the daily dose of a victim of “gingerism” was increased from ten drops to a pint in the course of three years. Though the habit is more practiced in the United States than in England, there are numbers of chemists in London who admit that they have regular customers for the pungent essence, who buy comparatively large quantities every week.
The cause of the habit is nearly always the same. “Gingerists” are people with weary brains and disordered stomachs, who seek palliation of the results of overwork. They know that such drugs as morphine, chloral, cocaine and chloroform are accumulative in their effect upon the human system; they know also that ginger was the homely remedy of their youth for stomach troubles.
It seems incredible, but it is a fact, that from the taking of a few drops of this powerful carminative for indigestion a “gingerist” will grow into the habit of taking large doses, both as a tonic, a sedative and a palliative.
So far, inquiries show that women are as much addicted to “gingerism” as men, but the actual victims are difficult to trace, as essence of ginger is easily purchasable in any chemist’s shop by child or grown up person.
“It must be a very vitiated taste that can endure a large dose of tincture of ginger,” said a wholesale chemist yesterday. “But, of course, the same can be said of most violently acting drugs. Once there is a physical demand created for a particular stimulant, the palate is disregarded. It is the result which is looked forward to, not the immediate impression. In this connection, at least, the ordinary alcoholic drinker is more sane than the morphia taker or the ‘gingerist.’ He may put that in his mouth which steals away his brain, but at least he gets some physical sensation of pleasure in the operation. ‘Gingerism’ is a depraved form of drugging.”
The result of the practice seems to be a negation of the results aimed at. A doctor said yesterday that this form of inebriety, after giving relief at first, completely disorders the stomach and gives no relief to a busy brain.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Lower Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Ryan Shah
Citation
“A New Inebriety,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed May 12, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/194.