Loosening the Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information

by Jean Kinney

The word “alcoholism” was first introduced in 1849. Magnus Huss, a prominent Swedish physician, wrote a book on the physical problems associated with drinking distilled spirits, titled Chronic Alcoholic Illness: A Contribution to the Study of Dyscasias Based on My Personal Experience and the Experience of Others. (The term “dyscasias” is no longer used. Even when this work was published, the meaning of the term was a bit vague, covering a combination of maladies and generally used to describe those thought to have a “poor constitution.”) In using the term “alcoholism,” Huss was following the common scientific practice of using “ism” as a description of a disease, especially those associated with poisonings. While recognizing the host of medical complications, he thought that the culprit was distilled spirits, not fermented beverages.