Vincent van Gogh and the thujone connection
W. N. Arnold
Department of Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66103.
During his last two years Vincent van Gogh experienced fits with
hallucinations that have been attributed to a congenital psychosis. But the
artist admitted to episodes of heavy drinking that were amply confirmed by
colleagues and there is good evidence to indicate that addiction to
absinthe exacerbated his illness. Absinthe was distilled from an alcoholic
steep of herbs. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) was the most significant
constituent because it contributed thujone. This terpene can cause
excitation, convulsions that mimic epilepsy, and even permanent brain
damage. Statements in van Gogh's letters and from his friends indicate that
he had an affinity for substances with a chemical connection to thujone;
the documented examples are camphor and pinene. Perhaps he developed an
abnormal craving for terpenes, a sort of pica, that would explain his
attempts to eat paints and so on, which were previously regarded as
unrelated absurdities.
