Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, they did and so did most cultures. Water and food-borne illnesses were a huge problem for which the science behind them wasn't even really well understood up until about 100 years ago. By trial and error, it was discovered that alcoholic beverages and fermented foods were far less likely to cause severe illness. Since ethanol is a natural by-product of the inevitable and natural process of sugar fermentation, it stands to reason that this method of antiseptic preservation was widely used wherever it was known to both ward off illness and prolong the supply of available food and drink. It's probably also why most humans are, through genetic evolution, able to metabolize ethanol in moderate or even large amounts amounts with little to no ill effect whereas it is downright toxic to many other mammals.
Yes, they did and so did most cultures. Water and food-borne illnesses were a huge problem for which the science behind them wasn't even really well understood up until about 100 years ago.
They may not have understood what micro-organisms were, but they absolutely understood what sort of actions caused food and water borne illnesses and frequently took steps to avoid it, or supply water from clean sources.
Which is also inaccurate. Not only did people drink water when a clean source was available, they also bathed in it. I would quote my sources again to prove that the myth about people not bathing or not bathing in water is just that, a myth, but apparently no one is reading them anyway.
Don't you just hate the "all or nothing" approach to certain topics? Clearly, humans always drank and used water for a plethora of things including bathing, cooking, farming, etc. However, they began to opt for alcoholic beverages when it became apparent that they caused less illness than water straight from a ground source. The whole premise of the supposed, biblical "water into wine" miracle was likely founded on it as wine was seen as a far superior, life giving beverage due to its better taste and relative absence of pathogens.
They may not have understood what micro-organisms were, but they absolutely understood what sort of actions caused food and water borne illnesses and frequently took steps to avoid it, or supply water from clean sources.
So, what part of my statement do you not agree with? Yes, they knew drinking water from a cesspool was worse than drinking from a clear brook. They still had no idea why. Largely, they would drink water if it was palatable which, of course, has little bearing on whether or not it contains pathogens.
So, what part of my statement do you not agree with? Yes, they knew drinking water from a cesspool was worse than drinking from a clear brook. They still had no idea why. Largely, they would drink water if it was palatable which, of course, has little bearing on whether or not it contains pathogens.
Not really disagreement, just clarification. They understood what actions caused water to go bad, and therefore often at least tried to take steps to avoid them - it hardly matters if they understood the science behind it or not. They understood cause and effect and that was enough to take effective measures to provide clean, drinkable water, which they often did successfully.
I’ve drank Lake Huron water raw while hiking a long distance. It was refreshing and I never had any odd reactions. I’m sure I can handle a clear babbling brook in Sweden.
Like others said, plumbing may be the reason. Vikings were mostly sea people and you can’t drink ocean water.
I've drank great lakes water too. The volume is such that it doesn't matter.
The concern is what's upstream of the babbling brook.
And we know that now, that wasn't always known back then. Put another way, why did our ancestors dig wells rather than source from a lake or stream? Because animals defecate in them.
I've drank great lakes water too. The volume is such that it doesn't matter.
The concern is what's upstream of the babbling brook.
And we know that now, that wasn't always known back then. Put another way, why did our ancestors dig wells rather than source from a lake or stream? Because animals defecate in them.
People dug wells because they didn't always live near enough to a lake or stream or other natural source of water, or because they needed a source of water within a fortress/castle walls in case of a siege. Animals that don't live in water don't defecate in water - think about it, that would taint the animal's only source of drinking water too, because they can't dig wells like humans can. Animals that do live in water don't really produce enough feces to cause a problem.
If you read the quotes I provided, you'll find well water was actually considered a less desirable source than cool spring water, or clear running streams - though of course they were still built and used. I did not quote the full details on why exactly that is, but if you're interested, here it is:
"It may seem odd that well water was held in low esteem, but well water was often of low quality. With rare exceptions, such as at Dover Castle where the well was driven over 280 feet down through rock to guarantee the availability of water even during a siege, most medieval wells were shallow by modern standards. These shallow wells reached only the uppermost levels of the water-table and were very susceptible to ground water contamination from sewage and storm water run-off that carried bacteria, parasites, and other harmful impurities. Such contamination was especially common in densely populated areas or anywhere else cesspits were too close to wells."
I’ve drank Lake Huron water raw while hiking a long distance. It was refreshing and I never had any odd reactions. I’m sure I can handle a clear babbling brook in Sweden.
Like others said, plumbing may be the reason. Vikings were mostly sea people and you can’t drink ocean water.
Oh for crying out loud! Smarten up and don't do that!!! Have you never heard of giardiasis or what was known as 'beaver fever'? You can pass it on to other people even if you don't have symptoms yourself.
Plumbing, or lack of plumbing was not the reason. Giardiasis was the reason. There are no surface or well water sources anywhere in North America or the Eurasian continents or anywhere else in the world that are not subject to having Giardia lamblia in the water. And that even includes from wells or from babbling crystal clear glacial streams coming from the highest snow-capped mountains no matter what country you are in. The parasite is in fresh surface water everywhere and if you contract it you can pass the parasite and the giardiasis disease on to others. I'm quoting a small excerpt for you but you should read the entire report linked to below.
"...... In Canada and the United States, you can get giardia by drinking untreated water from wells, streams, rivers, and lakes. This is true even in mountain lakes and streams where the water may seem very pure. The infection can also happen if you swallow contaminated water while you swim......
You can get giardia from someone else through:
- Close contact with someone who is infected.
- Working in daycare centres for young children. For example, if you change a diaper and don't wash your hands afterward, anything or anyone you touch could get infected. You could even get the illness yourself if you touch your mouth or eat food that you've touched. Children in daycare centres are also more likely to get infected.
- Working or living in nursing homes or other care centres where people may have poor bowel control and poor hygiene.
- Some types of sexual contact, such as anal-oral contact.......... "
Oh for crying out loud! Smarten up and don't do that!!! Have you never heard of giardiasis or what was known as 'beaver fever'? You can pass it on to other people even if you don't have symptoms yourself.
.
Yeah, in my hiking days in the backcountry I used iodine pills dropped in the water when hiking up in the mountains. It made the water taste bad, but it kept you healthy. You have to assume even the clearest most sparkling streams miles away from civilization are infected. Nowadays they have fancy mini-filtration systems. You don't gamble with your health.
Nature has it's own filters, to a degree - ground water coming up through sand or gravel...but it's still a gamble.
No, because it would kill them. Water is essential to living. Alcohol dehydrates.
How much alcohol do you think is in beer? Yes, alcohol dehydrates, but the average beer is about 5% alcohol and 95% water, The dehydrating effect of the alcohol is more that offset by the water content.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PA2UK
When do you ever drink alcohol that's less than 2%? I don't know that I've ever even seen it. Light beer is usually about 4%. You don't think it can be proven? Great, another denier of science...
Lettøl (or lättöl) is a common tyoe of light beer in Scandinavia and is usually around 2%. I think by law it can't be more than 2.25%
It is very popular for two reasons, first because alcohol is taxed highly in Scandinava, so lighter beers are cheaper, and second because cheap low alcohol beer fits the bill for when you want to spend the day drinking copious amounts of beer while mowing or fishing or whatever without getting trashed drunk.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Have you never heard of giardiasis or what was known as 'beaver fever'? You can pass it on to other people even if you don't have symptoms yourself.
