Jungle juice

History

"Jungle juice" as a term for bootlegged alcoholic drinks was used as early as 1909 in both the city of Fort Collins, Colorado and the town of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The item in the Weekly Courier in Fort Collins in February 1909 said the editor of a paper in nearby Eaton found Fort Collins "Jungle juice is too fierce for him."

The term appeared in Fort Collins newspapers several times over the next two decades. The name came from an area known as "the Jungle" on the outskirts of the dry town that was home to bootlegging and other illicit activities. A 1925 column in the Fort Collins Independent referred to "jungle juice" as the "acid that made Fort Collins famous."

Other uses of the term for bootlegged or homemade alcoholic drinks appeared in U.S. and Canadian newspapers in the 1930s and the first two years of the 1940s (before the U.S. entered World War II).

Australian newspapers used the term before the war to refer to home-brewed auto fuel additives. (Some of the Fort Collins articles also referred to their "jungle juice" being used this way.)

The term gained more widespread use during the war, first among Australian and American troops in New Guinea beginning in late 1942 and early 1943. Some newspaper articles described how it was made and what effect it had on those who drank it.

The term had also been applied to a specific treatment for war neurosis being practiced during the Second World War. Dr. William Sargant began to treat afflicted soldiers with large doses of a sedative called sodium amytal. The sedative would induce a deep sleep lasting up to three weeks. Patients would only be woken for an hour each day to be fed and to be bathed. The idea behind this sleep narcosis treatment was to break the cycle of exhaustion and anxiety caused by combat stress reaction. Additionally, insulin was given to patients to help restore lost weight due to inactivity. The insulin, however, could induce a coma by lowering the blood sugar. If the blood sugar level dropped too low, it could result in irreversible brain damage or even death. Soldiers began to refer to the sedative treatment as being given "Jungle Juice".

References

References

1. The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: J-Z By Eric Partridge [https://books.google.com/books?id=mAdUqLrKw4YC&dq=%22Jungle+juice%22&pg=PA1132 p.1132]
2. [https://punchdrink.com/articles/the-twisted-history-of-jungle-juice/ history]
3. DiSorbo, Dan. (2013-08-20). "The Book of the Party Animal". Chronicle Books.
4. (24 Feb 1909). "Editorial Comment". Weekly Courier.
5. (13 May 1909). "Hillbillies on Trial". Fort Gibson Post.
6. (15 Nov 1925). "The Old Fossil and the Pesky Reporter". Fort Collins Express-Courier.
7. Eichler, Lou. (29 Jul 1932). "The Rambler". Appeal-Democrat.
8. (30 Jul 1934). "Hoboes Help Interdicted Man to Drink". Leader-Post.
9. Othman, Frederick C.. (27 Oct 1938). "Serial King Makes 103rd". Akron Beacon Journal.
10. (9 Oct 1940). "'Jungle Juice' Blamed". Gazette.
11. (27 Dec 1941). "More Car Breakdowns". Sun.
12. Conn, Art. (14 Jul 1943). "War New Writer Lists Month's Best". Daily Times.
13. Frank, William B.. (21 Sep 1943). "The Man About Town". Journal-Every Evening.
14. (1 Dec 1943). "Tool Case Note Brings Response". Livingston County Press.
15. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUumA6VZh8Q Shell Shock: Battle for the Mind] (6mins 40sec)