The Quest for Aqua Vitae

Origin of the term Alcohol.- Origin of Ethanol Production via Fermentation.- Scope of Current Volume.- Earliest Fermented Beverages.- Fermentation.- Mead.- Date Wine.- Palm Wine.- Beer.- Beer vs. Bread.- Barley Beer.- Beer vs. Wine.- Beer in Mesopotamia.- Beer in Egypt.- Grape Wine.- Chemical Archaeological Studies.- Viniculture.- Wine Production.- Fermented Milk.- Kefir.- Kumis.- Distillation and the Isolation of Alcohol.- A Brief History of Distillation Methods.- Distillation of Wine.- Early Chemical and Medical Applications of Alcohol.- Chemical and Medical Uses of Fermented Beverages.- Early Chemical Applications of Alcohol.- Early Medical Applications of Alcohol.- About the Author.- Index.

Seth C. Rasmussen is Professor of Chemistry at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Washington State University in 1990 and his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Clemson University in 1994, under the guidance of Prof. John D. Peterson. As a postdoctoral associate at the University of Oregon, he then studied conjugated organic polymers under Prof. James E. Hutchison. In 1997, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Oregon, before moving to join the faculty at NDSU in 1999. Active in the fields of materials chemistry and the history of chemistry, his research interests include the design and synthesis of conjugated materials, photovoltaics (solar cells), organic light emitting diodes, the application of history to chemical education, the history of materials, and chemical technology in antiquity. As both author and editor, Prof. Rasmussen has contributed to books in both materials and history and has published more than 50 research papers. He is a member of various international professional societies including the American Chemical Society, Materials Research Society, Alpha Chi Sigma, Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, and the International History, Philosophy & Science Teaching Group. Professor Rasmussen currently serves as the Program Chair for the History of Chemistry division of the American Chemical Society and as Series Editor for Springer Briefs in Molecular Science: History of Chemistry.

"This brief monograph is part of the 'SpringerBriefs History of Chemistry' series (a subseries of 'SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science'). Rasmussen (North Dakota State Univ.), a recognized historian of chemistry, is also the series editor. ... The book is well documented with copious footnotes that include brief biographies of many of the figures involved in this history, and full references. ... Summing Up: Recommended. All general, academic, and professional history of chemistry collections." (H. Goldwhite, Choice, Vol. 52 (5), January, 2015)


"The book is well written, extensively referenced, and covers a range of scholarly material on ethanol production from several disciplines. The result is a convincing and erudite study of the early history of this most attractive of compounds, and one that I recommend highly for all chemists and their libraries." (John Nicholson, Chemistry World, December, 2014)