The Brain, the Enlightenment, and Coffeehouses

Over the centuries, there was never a shortage of admonitions based on the negative effects of alcohol and frequent drunkenness. While the mountain of related warnings continued to increase, there was a distinct period in Western Civilization during which all caution went largely unheeded. Today, we recognize the long- and short-term effects of alcohol on the human brain.

Neurons are the brain cells that are largely responsible for communicating with one another to produce behavior and cognition. However, alcohol can block the communication signals between neurons, prompting the conspicuous signs of intoxication including slower reflexes, poor recall, slurred speech, moderated judgment and decreased problem-solving capabilities. Cognitive impairment is a long-term  consequence of heavy drinking, with his own visible signs including difficulties in paying attention, verbal fluency, working memory and controlling impulses. Excessive alcohol consumption eventually leads to a decreased brain cell count.

During the Middle Ages, due to the poor sanitary practices of the times (primarily associated with human waste disposal), water was rarely potable in England and therefore, unsafe for human consumption. The most common substitutes for water were ales, beers, and wine, which were indulged in both day and night, resulting in a slightly intoxicated public most waking hours.

Coffee, which originated in Ethiopia in the 10^th century, ushered in a new era in England and Europe. When water is heated above the boiling point to produce a coffee, bacteria and parasites that cause most illnesses are eliminated. Not only could large numbers of people remain sober, as a bonus to their newfound sobriety, the caffeine in coffee was a stimulant. Suddenly, coffeehouses spread throughout England in the early 1600s, and this addictive brain stimulant helped to usher in the European period known best for a "rationalist and scientific approach to the understanding of human society, the law, religion, and individualism" or the period of Enlightenment.

Coffeehouses became the central hub for exchanging ideas, conducting business, spreading the latest news and gossip, and meeting up with other like-minded thinkers. Coffeehouses were places where one could discuss and debate with his ideological, theological, and political opponents, as well as friends. For a mere penny entry fee, the door to nearly any coffeehouse would open as if by magic giving one access to uniquely stimulating conversations fostered by the stimulant caffeine.

Most importantly, 17^th and 18^th century coffeehouses became the primary location where one could learn from colleagues, "authorities," friends, and complete strangers who gathered in the coffeehouses to introduce, explain, critique, compare, and exchange innovative and scientific ideas. The Enlightenment also saw individuals challenge the traditional religious-based pseudo-scientific notions that opened the window to transformative scientific examinations of commonly held ideas that were intensely advocated by the church. Thus, these establishments became known as “penny universities,” and emerged as the most appropriate and most common venue to conduct business, becoming an integral component in British commerce. 

Coffeehouses became the most dynamic social, intellectual, and commercial hubs where professionals, merchants and farmers could confer with colleagues and complete strangers in specified businesses and in support of specific professions. Coffeehouses near the Westminster became the places for politicians to meet. Coffeehouses in the proximity of the Royal Exchange catered to the merchant and business communities, while theologians and clergymen gravitated to the coffeehouses nearest the major churches. Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctioneers were spinoffs of the coffeehouses near the auctioneers. “Jonathan’s coffeehouse” was the principal hangout for London’s stockbrokers and was the location from which the London Stock Exchange emerged. The establishment known as "Lloyd’s Coffeehouse," was the main scene for insurance transactions. It evolved into the Lloyd’s of London insurance company.

Recognizing the  high neurological price one pays when small or moderate doses of alcohol impact the central nervous system (processing, learning, remembering, rational thinking, etc.), what might the long-term toll be on the CNS brought on by a lifetime of nearly nonstop alcohol consumption? Diminished cognitive performance would be the first expected outcome.

During the Enlightenment, the needle for all cultural, religious, political, and scientific conversations moved dramatically after the introduction of sustained sobriety brought about by the introduction of coffee. The coffeehouses and their "secret ingredient" caffeine were instrumental in developing and expanding complex circuitry in sober brains during the Enlightenment, rather than damaging brain cells and the vital dendritic connections that formed the basis of transformational and creative thinking.