Hair of the dog
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- This article is about the phrase. For other uses, see Hair of the dog (disambiguation).
The phrase "Hair of the Dog" is predominantly used to refer to imbibing an alcoholic beverage to cure a hangover, although it has seen limited use with respect to other drugs. The intent in so imbibing is to lessen or postpone the effects of the hangover, or the withdrawal from that drug. It is a shortened form of the phrase "The hair of the dog that bit you".
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[edit] Origin and derivation
The origin of the phrase is unclear, but instances of the phrase have appeared in English literature since the time of Shakespeare. E. Cobham Brewer writes in the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898): "In Scotland it is a popular belief that a few hairs of the dog that bit you applied to the wound will prevent evil consequences. Applied to drinks, it means, if overnight you have indulged too freely, take a glass of the same wine next morning to soothe the nerves. 'If this dog do you bite, soon as out of your bed, take a hair of the tail in the morning.'" He also cites two apocryphal poems containing the phrase, one of which is attributed to Aristophanes. It is not known whether the idea of like curing like, or the practice (which may have other psychological causes) came first. Certainly it is possible that the phrase was used to justify an existing practice. It is also possible that the modern use of the phrase arose as a metaphor for that idea and did not have a former basis in practice.
The phrase is also used in a more general context to mean "a little dose of something which caused your problems in the first place," can be used to cure the problem. The phrase may have some roots in the Latin phrase "Similia similibus curantur".
The phrase also exists in Hungarian, where the literal translation to English is "(You may cure) the dog's bite with its fur", but has evolved to a short three word phrase ("Kutya harapást szőrével") that is used frequently in other contexts when one is trying to express that the solution to a problem is more of the problem.
[edit] Other names
Among the Irish, the phrase 'The Cure' is often used instead of 'hair of the dog'.[1] It is used, often sarcastically, in the question "Going for a Cure?"
[edit] Biological effects
A hangover is due partly to poisoning by alcohol (production of toxins) and other components of the drink, and partly to the body's reaction to withdrawal from alcohol. Medically, consuming alcohol may help with mitigating the headache of a hangover by depressing the central nervous system, and may ameliorate some of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, for example, delirium tremens[2]; but it is not medically recommended for hangovers, nor for the long term treatment of problems related to alcohol consumption. Some researchers have suggested that ethanol may help dilute other alcohols that cause many of the hangover symptoms, but no controlled studies were carried out.
Generally speaking, physicians do not recommend 'hair of the dog' treatments for hangovers. [3] Drinking more alcohol can make the symptoms seem to lessen at first, but will only aggravate the symptoms once the liver breaks the alcohol down, because the body will have additional toxins to deal with.
[edit] Related concepts
There are parallels with this concept in Homeopathic medicine. However ‘hair of the dog’ treatment is distinct in that with homeopathic cures only a small amount of the active ingredient is used, and often the ingredient is different than the causative agent although it produces similar symptoms.
One non-homeopathic medically effective symptomatic relief treatment that utilizes a similar concept is the treatment for postherpetic pain (neuralgia) of shingles by applying chili powder spray to the affected area. [4]
Vaccination can be seen as a similar idea in that it uses deactivated or less-dangerous but similar infectious agents to provide an immunity to a disease without having to expose the patient to the dangerous infectious agent itself. But vaccination is distinct from 'hair of the dog' treatments in that vaccines are applied beforehand to allow the body to develop defenses (antibodies), rather than after-the-fact.
[edit] Treatment notice
Medical professionals should be consulted about the proper treatment for hangovers, alcohol withdrawal, and withdrawal from other drugs.
[edit] Appearance in popular culture
- At one point in the LucasArts adventure game The Curse of Monkey Island, the player must mix a hangover remedy for an inebriated character consisting of egg, pepper, and "the hair of the dog that bit you." However, for the purposes of the game, this means literal dog hair.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Edwards, Steve (2004) A nine-mile walk on an eight-mile road: Terms for various states of drunkenness in Irish-English;
- ^ "Delirium tremens:Medication" from eMedicineEthanol is effective in blunting withdrawal symptoms, but it is no longer indicated because of associated electrolyte abnormalities, potential worsening of gastritis, hepatitis, and pancreatitis. Ethanol use may promote continued ethanol usage.
- ^ “Medline:Hangover treatment” National Institute of Health.
- ^ “Shingles: Hope Through Research”, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Health.
