The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-08-27 00:00:00

SMOKING.

We believe that the loudest decrier, of the habit of
smoking, ladies of course being excepted, are those
who have found their stomachs unable to endure the
effects of their fire endeavours to acquire it, and we
further consider this condemnation of the habit to
arise as frequently from envy as from any belief that
injury is inflicted upon the smoker. All this, how-
ever, proms nothing in favour of, or against, the habit
in question. Let us nee what are the properties of
tobacco in KAI relation to the human organisation. The
Materia Medic* of Drs. Hoyle and Headland mays
" When niootia is taken into the system gradually, as In
smoking, it does not generally act as a poison, because
It passes out of the blood into the Tarbes secretions,
nearly as fast as it is absorbed." and again "the active
properties (the poisonous bloods) are destroyed by
heat.' It thus means from the authority universally
recognised by the medical profession, that tobscon
when smoked is not injurious to the system, for if it
ultimately produced death, it would of necessity be •
poison, however slow it might be, and poisonous pro-
perties are distinctly denied to it under the condition
mentioned. From the same mousse, we ascertain that
the use of tobacco increases the secretion of the
humors of the head when taken in the form of snuff,
and of the humors f the throat when introduced to
the system by smoking. Now when we consider the
fact that consumption (other than hereditary) arises
from the clogging of the lungs, from the dryness and
tenacity of the secretions of the throat and reepiratory
°reaps, we may readily perceive in that tobacco is
useful to moisten and thus remove these secretions,
how beneficial it is to the health of the smoker. The
great mediate object to lie sought in order to avert
consumption is the removal of all phlegm from the
lungs, as its presence irritates and enfeeble' theee
organs until lung disease becomes chronic. The sequel
of this disease is, of course, death. One maxim, how-
ever, should be uniformly observed by all smokers,
and that is never to spit unnecessarily. tipit7is is
only necessary when nicotine gets through the p-
' stem into the mouth. or when phlegm is dial ged.
Never retain either nicotine or thiegm, as the reten-
tion of both has a highly pre odicial effect on the
health, and thus tends to ali reviate the already
sufficiently brief space of life allotted to DAD. Beside"
being so invaluable to the keeping off id lung disease,
smoking has immediate effects, which are no less
wresable to the ,society in which the smoker is, than
they are to the smoker himself. fo enumerate all
these good effects would occupy more space than we
have at command. but one or two may, with propriety
be mentioned. The first in order is the sweetening of
the temper. This, however, being only an effect of
another effect, it will be as well to particularise the
causes of tb• sweetness of temper that is induced.
111-temper always arises from either constitutional or
temporary irritability of body or mind, said physical
Irritability is by ao means the rarer cause. Tobacco is
always • 'sedative. It alleviates physical pain and
allays mental irritation at one and the rams time.
Thee effects are produced by the renerkahly
Influence exercised by tobacco on the Dervent.ll
there be • distinct link between mind and matter, it
Is certainly to be found in the nervous system; hence
the beneficial mental and physicial effects simultane-
ously derived from the influence of tobacco OD the
nerves. The only other desirable effect of smoking
we have space or time to indicate, is that of enabling
the smoker to concentrate his thoughts on a given
'subject more completely than he could otherwise do.
We affirm from our own personal experience. as well
as from the testimony of thousands of others who have
Indulged in the habit for a period of years, that
smoking is an invaluable assistant in arranging and
bringing out Ideas, on any subject with which the
smoker Is acquainted ;and in this we confidently chal-
lenge contradiction. Contradiction coming from •
nassmoker must, of necessity, be valueless, for he
has not ages the pudding. Robert Walpole appeared
1 to he acquainted with the effect of smoking on think-
ing, While he waned up • &arrest of fire
wefieft. " Put that la pip. am( seeks &mom in the abroir •r.