Absinthe: The Price of Creativity :: Biology Essays Research Papers

greybeard The Price of CreativityThe practice of serious art, whether it be painting, music or lit periodture, requires originalities of perception. At a level of neurobiology what this usually means is that the nervous dodge must respond in new ways to old inputs. How finish in individual induce these responses that are needed for creativeness? If creativity is a behavior, can it be influenced by things that occur in the mind?Some artists seem to be naturally endowed with the gift of creativity and the creation of these new responses to old information. Some artists seek to place themselves in ambient conditions in order to induce these new responses of the nervous system. And early(a) artists seek out the help of drugs. Drugs can have a broad(a) variety of effects, from mild physical effects to huge effects on personality and behavior. At the end of the 19th century there was an while of great creativity in Europe. Particularly in France, the Belle Epoch era brought with i t a generation of artists that produced an enormous output of creativity. These artists survived in artistic circles which brought with them the infamous alcoholic drink called absinthe.In 1910 to 1915 absinthe was recognized as a neurological poison throughout Europe, and it was also banned in the US. However, amongst the fans of absinthe we find some of the most creative minds of the era. These include De Musset, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Zola, Oscar Wilde, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec, new wave Gough, Hemmingway and Picasso. (5) Oscar Wilde said of absinthe After the first glass, you see things as you privation they were. After the second, you see them as they are not. Finally, you see things as they genuinely are, which is the most horrible thing in the world. Although absinthe had become the matter drink of France by the end of the 19th century, absinthe had a temper for inducing insane and criminal acts as well as convulsions and early(a) effects of toxicity (1)Though absinthe c ontains a high plenty of alcohol (usually 70%), it is not the ethyl alcohol that is the important neuro-active ingredient, yet the terpenoid alpha-thujone. Thujone is derived from the oil of the plants, Artemisia absinthium (common names bitter wormwood, wormseed, Wermutkraut, Asscnizio, Losna, Pelin) and Artemisia pontica (Roman Wormwood), both of the daisy family. The plant is described as a fragrant perennial herb about 1-4 feet tall with silver-green leaves, glib hairs on both sides of the leaves, and small yellowish-green flowers present during July-September (4).