Hard liquor has a long history of medicinal use in infants. Since the mid-1800s, alcohol was added to teething medications and colic remedies based on the misguided belief that it was “the most valuable sedative and hypnotic drug…for infants and young children.”1,2 This broad-strokes approach to the practice of medicine inspired the use of cognac-infused tea for treating the first reported case of galactosemia in 19083—an inherited disorder characterized by the inability to convert the milk sugar galactose into glucose. The infant treated with hot toddies later died of complications, including liver cirrhosis that was likely due to the combined effects of the alcohol and disease progression.
Improperly metabolized galactose is toxic, leading to liver damage, blood sugar dysregulation, vision deficits, blood infections, and death. Over the years, a thorough understanding of the genetic and metabolic mechanisms of galactosemia, newborn genetic screening, and early intervention vastly improved infant outcomes. Yet, ...
