Wow! Is whiskey really curing cancer and other deadly diseases? Well, let’s take a look.

Johns Hopkins was born in 1795. He got his unusual first name from his grandfather, who was named after Johns' great grandmother, Margaret Johns. When he was 17, he was sent to Baltimore to work for his uncle, a wholesale grocer. After working for his uncle, Hopkins went into business for three years with a friend, and then with three of his brothers, forming a wholesale provision house called Hopkins Brothers. The firm shipped whiskey into Baltimore in exchange for raw supplies that were shipped back to Western whiskey makers. Hopkins Brothers sold the whiskey under the brand name Hopkins Best. This was the start to Hopkins’ building his fortune as he took the profits from his whiskey sales and invested them in other projects.

Hopkins was to go far beyond shipping whiskey, however, as he was a genius at investing and lending. Two projects that particularly interested him were building warehouses around the harbor, and financing the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, of which he became the largest stockholder.

Hopkins died on Christmas Eve 1873, but his death marked the birth of two of America's greatest institutions. His will directed that his fortune of nearly $7 million should be divided to establish The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The University and Hospital seem fitting achievements for the life of Johns Hopkins. Due to his Quaker upbringing he developed a sense of charity. Since the philanthropist never received the education he longed for, he wanted to provide a university for others. Witnessing the disease and epidemics that ravaged Baltimore caused him to realize the need for a hospital. His business ability earned him the funds he needed to provide education and health care to citizens of Baltimore and the world.

Johns Hopkins, a businessman and philanthropist from Baltimore, founded one of the top hospitals and research centers in the U.S., Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical Center, in 1889. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine followed four years later. The Johns Hopkins Hospital is now one of this country’s leading medical centers ranking #1 in five specialties, #2 in one, # 3 in two and #4 in four. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/usnews/

Some might consider it a stretch that whiskey is the reason why, but at the very least, a great man—who, incidentally, didn’t drink—saw the value of whiskey and created a fortune from its profits. Whiskey profits allowed him to start both the university and Medical center which bears his name. So maybe whiskey is not directly curing cancer; however, we can probably all agree that it at least played a role in changing modern medicine for the better.