absinthism


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Related to absinthism: absenteeism
Poisoning with absinthe, popular in fin-de-siècle France, which had a toxin, thujone, which was extracted from wormwood (Artemisia absinthium pontica), a plant used for de-worming. The neurologic effects of absinthe (with thujone)—mental deterioration, loss of time/space orientation, hallucinations—eventually led to its ban in 1915; consumption of wormwood oil may be linked to rhabdomyolysis and seizures

absinthism

(ab′sin-thizm) [ absinthe + -ism]
Deterioration of the nervous system following excessive use of absinthe.