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Beer Street and Gin Lane are two prints issued in 1751 by English artist William Hogarth in support of what would become the Gin Act . Designed to be viewed alongside each other, they depict the evils of the consumption of gin as a contrast to the merits of drinking beer.
Rum and Wellness in XVIII Century Britain
Marco Pierini, The Rum Historian for "Got Rum?" Magazine, talks about "Rum and Wellness in XVIII Century Britain" in the October 2014 issue.
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Marco Pierini
Marco Pierini, Rum Historian
Rum and Wellness in XVIII Century Britain
As I wrote in previous articles, the Italian distillers of the XIII Century called the spirit they produced aqua vitae, water of life, because they believed it was a panacea for many ills and since then the link between alcohol and wealth in European culture has been very strong.
XVIII Century Britain was rich and powerful. No grave political or economic perils threatened it. And, like today, good society was very concerned about health. Air, climate, food, beverages, habits of life, etc... were studied to learn how to defend the people’s health and improve their wellness.
Then, in order to promote the consumption of rum, it was necessary to present it as something healthy and useful for the well-being of the people. As we know, rum had two competitors: brandy among the upper classes, and gin among the lower ones. And both of them were targeted.
In 1690, Dalby Thomas wrote that rum is “wholesomer for the Body [ than Brandy], which is observed by the long living of those in the Collonies that are great Drinkers of Rum, which is the Spirit we make from Mellasses, and the short living of those that are great Drinkers of Brandy in those parts”.
And again in 1770 when rum imports had surpassed those of brandy for decades, one Robert Dossie, physician, wrote: “The drinking of Rum in moderation is more salutary, and in excess much less harmful , than drinking Brandy” Dossie filled his pages with medical evidence, chemical dissertations, scientific experiments and so on .
The British élite continued to drink brandy, but rum achieved social respectability.
Gin was an easier target. It was a dangerous competitor for bread in the use of the precious grain and its huge diffusion among the poor was a major social problem at the time. We are going to write about the laws against gin later, now it is enough to quote an anonymous author that in 1760 wrote:
“Since the Suppression of Gin the Consumption of Rum has been greatly increased, and yet the Dram Drunkenness with all its dreadful Effects, has entirely ceased.” And “Gin is vastly more destructive to the Human Frame than the Sugar Spirit.”
Later he claimed that rum is good for “weak and depraved appetites and Digestion, and in many other Distempers of the declining sort. “
And, after a lot of recommendations from authoritative physicians, our anonymous wrote: “Gin is a Spirit too fiery, acrid, and inflamating for inward Use – But … Rum is a Spirit so mild, balsamic, and benign, that if it’s properly used and attempered it may be made highly useful, both for the Relief and Regalement of Human Nature”.
So, with the help of Science and Medicine, rum began to conquer the minds of British people.
-This article was written by Mr. Marco Pierini, The Rum Historian for "Got Rum?" magazine-