Alcohol's Dark Legacy: Fas In The Middle Ages

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a medical term used to describe a range of mental and physical disabilities caused by maternal alcohol consumption. The role of alcohol as a teratogen and its effects on the cellular growth of the embryo and fetus were not scientifically determined until the late 1960s. However, the link between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and harm to the offspring may have been observed over the thousands of years during which alcohol has been available. As alcoholic drinks were a staple in the Middle Ages, it is plausible that fetal alcohol syndrome was common during this period. However, it is difficult to determine whether fetal alcohol syndrome played a role in infant mortality.

Alcohol consumption in the Middle Ages

Alcohol consumption was a common feature of social life in the Middle Ages. Drinking establishments, such as taverns, were spaces for socialising, particularly in urban areas. However, they were also often regarded as places of ill-repute, dubbed the "chapel of the devil". Drunkenness was a sin, a subset of the Deadly Sin of gluttony, and was frequently associated with fights, assaults, and murders.

Medieval people drank a variety of beverages, including water, ale, beer, and wine. While water was the primary drink, ale, beer, and wine were preferred for their taste, calories, and social status. Beer and wine were particularly common, with distilled liquors being absent from convivial consumption. Alcohol was also consumed for hydration, as it was believed to be safer than water, although this is considered a myth by some.

In terms of drinking culture, inebriety was widespread across all classes of society, with a notable prevalence among the clergy and university students. The understanding of alcoholism differed from modern perspectives, and it was not viewed as an addiction or disease. Instead, the goal was to achieve moderation and balance, with drunkenness being a sin that would be accounted for on Judgment Day.

The effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its potential link to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in the Middle Ages are a subject of discussion. While the official recognition of FASD as a clinical disorder is relatively recent, there may be some indications that fetal alcohol syndrome was not unknown during medieval times. A.L. Martin's research on drinking behaviour in late medieval and early modern Europe suggests that the high rates of infant and child mortality may have been influenced by maternal alcohol consumption. Additionally, facial deformities in portraiture and traditional beliefs that drunk parents could lead to weak or ill children may provide some indirect clues about the understanding of fetal alcohol syndrome during this period. However, it is challenging to determine the exact role it may have played in infant mortality.

High infant mortality rates

The high infant mortality rates in the Middle Ages could be attributed to several factors, including the lack of advanced medical knowledge and healthcare practices. During this period, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) may have also contributed to the high infant mortality rates, although it is challenging to determine its exact impact.

FAS, now recognized as a severe and visually apparent subtype of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), was not officially identified until the 1970s. However, alcohol consumption was prevalent in medieval Europe, and it is possible that excessive drinking during pregnancy contributed to infant mortality. Medieval Europeans consumed alcoholic beverages such as mead, beer, ale, and wine as part of their daily diets. While men typically drank more than women, female peasants in Languedoc were reported to consume two liters of wine per day, containing 0.7 liters of pure alcohol per week, which is considered sufficient to cause FAS.

The research of A.L. Martin, focusing on England, France, and Italy between 1300 and 1700, revealed that alcohol consumption was widespread. Martin suggested that FAS might have been a contributing factor to the high infant and child mortality rates in preindustrial European societies. She noted that there may be some indications that FAS was not unknown during the Middle Ages, including facial deformities depicted in portraiture and traditional beliefs that drunk parents could lead to weak or ill children.

The ancient Greeks and Romans also expressed awareness of the potential harm associated with drinking during pregnancy, although their concerns centered on the effects of alcohol on the male body at the time of conception and the belief that it influenced the gender of the child. The discovery of the link between alcohol consumption and fetal development did not occur on scientific grounds until the 1960s, and the recognition of FAS as a significant public health threat in the USA occurred in more recent decades.

While it is difficult to determine the exact impact of FAS on infant mortality rates in the Middle Ages, the high consumption of alcohol during this period may have contributed to various health issues, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant mortality. The lack of modern medical knowledge and healthcare practices would have further exacerbated these issues, contributing to the overall high infant mortality rates during the Middle Ages.

Alcohol as a safer alternative to water

It is a common misconception that during the Middle Ages, alcohol was safer to drink than water. In reality, people in traditional Europe consumed large amounts of alcoholic beverages—mainly ale, beer, and wine—as part of their daily diets. For example, in the 15th century, English peasants are reported to have drunk a gallon (4.5 liters) of ale per day.

While it is true that water sources in medieval towns were often contaminated, the notion that people exclusively drank alcohol as a safer alternative is inaccurate. Fresh water could be obtained from springs and wells, and boiling water for tea was also a common practice. However, the consumption of alcohol, especially during pregnancy, can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a range of mental and physical disabilities caused by maternal alcohol consumption.

The link between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and harm to the fetus was not scientifically determined until the late 1960s. However, there is evidence to suggest that this link may have been observed and speculated upon throughout history. Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and scientists are often quoted as expressing an awareness of the potential harm associated with drinking during pregnancy, although these statements are interpretations of their views on procreation.

During the Middle Ages, alcoholic drinks were a staple, and women also consumed significant amounts. While women did not drink as much as men, their consumption levels may have been high enough to cause fetal alcohol syndrome. A.L. Martin, in her research on drinking behavior in late medieval and early modern Europe, concluded that it is challenging to determine if fetal alcohol syndrome contributed to high infant and child mortality rates. However, there may be some signs that it was recognized, such as facial deformities in portraiture and traditional beliefs that drunk parents could lead to weak or ill children.

In conclusion, while alcohol may have been consumed due to concerns about water quality in the Middle Ages, it is important to note that excessive alcohol consumption, especially during pregnancy, can have severe consequences for fetal development. The high levels of alcohol consumption by women during this period may have contributed to the high infant mortality rates observed in traditional Europe.

Lack of awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome

The link between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and maternal alcohol consumption was not scientifically determined until the late 1960s. The term fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was coined in 1973 by Americans Jones and Smith, who provided diagnostic criteria and described the consistent pattern of malformations among children of mothers with significant prenatal alcohol intake.

Prior to these discoveries, there was a prevalent view that alcohol was safe during pregnancy, and there was much skepticism about the teratogenicity of alcohol. While it is possible that the negative effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy may have been observed and attributed to fetal alcohol syndrome throughout history, the specific recognition and diagnosis of FASD and FAS are relatively recent developments.

Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and scientists are sometimes quoted as expressing an awareness of potential harm associated with drinking during pregnancy. However, these statements are interpretations of their views relating to procreation and were actually concerned with the effects of alcohol on the male body at the time of conception, particularly male body temperature, which they believed influenced the sex of the child.

In medieval Europe, alcoholic beverages such as ale, beer, and wine were consumed in large quantities as part of daily diets. For example, in the 15th century, English peasants are reported to have drunk a gallon (4.5 liters) of ale per day. While women did not drink as much as men, they still consumed significant amounts of alcohol. Some researchers have hypothesized that fetal alcohol syndrome may have contributed to the high rates of infant and child mortality in preindustrial European societies. However, it is difficult to determine the exact impact of FAS on infant mortality in medieval times.

Portrayals of facial deformities in portraiture and traditional beliefs that drunk parents lead to weak or ill children may suggest some level of awareness of the negative effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. However, the specific recognition of fetal alcohol syndrome as a distinct condition is a more recent development, and it was not widely recognized or understood in the Middle Ages.

Ancient Greek and Roman beliefs about alcohol

Alcohol was an important element of ancient Greek and Roman societies, consumed for pleasure, social reasons, and medicinal purposes. While the ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed drinking, they also had rules and literature that stressed moderate drinking, recommended diluting wine with water, and praised temperance. For instance, Xenophon and Plato spoke highly of moderate wine consumption because it was good for health and promoting happiness, but they were also critical of drunkenness. Similarly, Aristotle and Zeno were very critical of drunkenness.

However, as the Roman Empire grew, drinking culture began to change. The Romans’ traditional values of frugality, temperance, and simplicity were slowly replaced by heavy drinking and other vices, including degeneracy, blind ambition, and corruption.

In ancient Greece, the symposium was a gathering of men for an evening of conversation, entertainment, and drinking. It typically ended in intoxication. Women were not allowed at symposiums, and wine was consumed after dinner. Despite the prevalence of drinking, there are no references in ancient Greek literature to mass drunkenness among the Greeks, although there are references to it among foreign peoples.

The Romans had a similar gathering called the convivium, where wine was served before, during, and after meals, and women were allowed to attend. While foreign visitors occasionally reported "mass drunkenness", the ancient Greeks were generally considered very temperate among ancient peoples.

There were exceptions, however, such as the cult of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Followers of Dionysus believed that becoming intoxicated brought them closer to their deity. Additionally, among the Greeks, the Macedonians considered intemperance a sign of masculinity, and men often drank to intoxication. Their king, Alexander the Great, had a reputation for inebriety.

While the ancient Greeks and Romans did not have the scientific understanding of fetal alcohol syndrome that we have today, there is some evidence that they were aware of the potential harm associated with drinking during pregnancy. Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and scientists are frequently quoted as expressing an awareness of potential harm associated with drinking during pregnancy. However, the focus of their concern was on the effects of drinking on the male body at the time of conception, and specifically on how alcohol affected male body temperature. A cold body at the time of conception was believed to enhance the likelihood of conceiving a female, which to the Greeks and Romans was considered a "deformity".

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