Alcoholism is one of the themes that sticks out to me in Love Medicine. Some scientists, like Dr. Ting-Kai Li, from Indiana University, believe that alcoholism is a result of both genetics and environment. He says, ""We have identified two genes that
protect against heavy drinking, and these are particularly prevalent among Asians,"
Li says. "We have shown that Native Americans, who have a high rate of
alcoholism, do not have these protective genes. The one that is particularly effective
is a mutation of the gene for the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays a
major role in metabolizing alcohol. The mutation is found very frequently in
Chinese and Japanese populations but is less common among other Asian groups,
including Koreans, the Malayo-Polynesian group, and others native to the Pacific
Rim. "We've also looked at Euro-Americans, Native Americans, and Eskimos, and
they don't have that gene mutation," says Li. Thus, incidentally, the study of genetic
mutations and alcoholism links native North-American populations to central
Asian ancestors, not to those from China and Japan." (Genetic Influences on Alcohol Drinking and Alcoholism)
This book is depressing. The suggestions of incest are a little disturbing, and I get mad each time one of the characters cheats on their spouse.
Angele,
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting info but what do we do with it? Also, do we know when the study was conducted? How many people in the sample tested? Are we to believe that the characters who resort to alcohol in the novel do so because of
both genetics and the environment?
I ask these questions because there is a pervasive stereotype about the "drunken Indian" that still informs American imaginary, and I think we can move beyond that. That is, how does Erdrich write about alcoholism in this novel?