Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: beer

  • Robert Braidwood’s “Did Man Once Live by Beer Alone?”

    In his 1953 essay “Did Man Once Live by Beer Alone?”, archaeologist Robert J. Braidwood raised a provocative question that hinted at deeper anthropological and historical truths about the origins of agriculture. Though framed with a certain tongue-in-cheek humor, the piece explored a serious and fascinating idea: that the cultivation of cereal grains might have…

  • The ancient history of beer

    Carol ShermanChicago, Illinois, United States Beer is a short word with a long history. According to the World History Encyclopedia, it is the world’s oldest alcoholic drink. The name comes from the Latin “bibere” via the German “bier,” meaning “to drink.”1 The origin dates back to the first Stone Age settlements. During the Neolithic period, the…

  • “John Barleycorn Must Die”: Addiction attributions in Jack London’s Alcoholic Memoirs

    Ad KapteinBarend FlorijnPim van der MeerLeiden, the Netherlands A thousand words every morning—with iron discipline, Jack London adhered to his writing routine. Later in the day, he would turn to John Barleycorn: beer, wine, whisky, and brandy. His John Barleycorn: Alcoholic Memoirs (1913) tells of his drinking career, which took off after inadvertently sipping his…