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From: abh6509@ritcv.UUCP (A. Hudson)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.college
Subject: Re: prevention of hangovers
Message-ID: <9247@ritcv.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 15:02:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ritcv.9247
Posted: Mon Jan 13 15:02:36 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jan-86 01:25:53 EST
References: <3122@sdcc3.UUCP> <795@petrus.UUCP> <109@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: abh6509@ritcv.UUCP (Andrew)
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Lines: 17
Keywords: free hangover
Xref: watmath net.med:3129 net.college:989

>Chemical B (produced via the bodies breakdown of ethanol) is 
>FORMALDEHYDE. Body breaks down the ethanol first, as it is more dangerous
>than the formaldehyde in the small concentrations that are encountered.
>Formaldehyde concentrations in the bloodstream cause nausea and headache,
>For a Free Hangover (ie no beer required) go to your local Intro Bio Class
>and sniff the jars of Preserved Dead Frog Parts for a short time. :-)
>                                         -the venn buddhist

Your high school chemistry is strongly lacking! Formaldehyde is the
product of partial oxidation of METHANOL and is the cause of blindness
when people drink sterno or other nasty stuff. I heard (but cannot
vouch) that amyl alcohol is the impurity that is responsible for those
hangover affects. If this were true then it would be possible to
distill a brew with minimal impurities. Stolichnaya comes pretty
close to this. Highly recomended but expensive at $17/liter.

A. Hudson