alcohol

The consequences of excessive alcohol consumption are a long-known phenomenon in human history. The painful repercussions are already described in the Bible in the book of Isaiah 5:11: “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, for the [...]

The origin of the name “Tomcat” is not exactly clear. One explanation is based on the proximity to the term “catarrh”. In popular terms, this refers to a symptom complex of headaches, malaise and a feeling of illness. The origins are also discussed in connection with the term “cat whine” as a miserable feeling after an intoxication. This reflects the painfully plaintive nocturnal whining of tomcats in heat. In the student language of Goethe's time, the term “Kotzen-Jammer” is used, which aptly addresses nausea, vomiting, feeling ill, headaches including remorse and self-reproach for consuming too much alcohol.