The social functions of alcohol in eighteenth-century Maryland
Date
1987
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Contemporary theories of physiology and personality derived from the natural philosophy of classical antiquity posited strong relationships between drinking and certain modes of behavior. The doctrine of the four temperaments related each personality type to the element and humor that predominated in the individual. Because wine was closely linked to blood in the metaphor of communion and in contemporary medical theory, drinking provided a means to engage in a desirable personality and its characteristic activities. Surviving records of eighteenth-century gentlemen's clubs provide detailed accounts of what men said and did while drinking in the club environment. ☐ After exploring drinking and drunken behavior as described in contemporary medical and morally prescriptive literature, it becomes clear that the activities of inebriated club members were far from random, but closely followed cultural models. The drunkenness of the club members was learned behavior. (Abstract from ProQuest citation page, "shortened with permission of author.")