The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-12-30
From Good Health.
T0RAH0

a
ted to the practice Of smoking and
s'snufing" some Of the most formidable
diseases that flesh is heir to- We are
not going to repeat these columonpla-
ces. Bat we believe that we shall do .
good service by laying before our read.
.ers certain striking facts which not very
long ago occupied the French Academy
of Medicine, and were published by one
Of its members, DR., Jolly
According to this learned physician
itappears from the French me iical sta
tistics, that diseases of the nervous cen
tres have increased at frighttuI rate
among the French; that insanity, gen.
eral aud progressive paralysis, soften
ing Of the brain and spinal marrow,
canoerous diseases Of the lips and the
tongue, appear to have increased hand
in-hand with the revenues derived from
the impost on tobacco. Nay, more
we are positively assured that the in
crease ofthe French population has been
checked by the use Of tobacco In all
this there is nothing new, Precisely
the same accusations were brought
against tobacco by the earliest writers
on the subject, some two hundred years
ago. Still, it may be worth our while
TO listen to the recital of the modern
evils which the continental physicians
ascribe to the weed, however painful it
may be TO hear so bad an account of
that which many smoker prefers to
food and which so many believe to
be AIN innocent enjoyment if not posi-
tive mental support, equally acceptable
after the labors of the body or the mind
According to the statistics OF DIR.
Rubio, the number of lunatics is much
greater in Northern countries, where
the consumption Of spirituous liquors
and the use of tobacco are much great
er than in southern countries, where
the people are very sober, and small
smokers According to NJ, Moreau,
not a single case Of general paralysis is
seen in Asia Minor, where there is no
abuse of alcoholic liquors, and where
they smoke kind of tobacco which is
almost free from nicotine, or the peculiar
poison in tobocco. On the other hand,
insanity is frightfully increasing in Eu-
rope, Just in proportion to the increase
in the use Of tobacco 1t appears that
from 1880 to 1862 the revenues from
the impost on tobacco in France rose
from fl ,25O 900 to &c, S3S ,333-a tre.
mendous figure, certainly, TO have dis
appeared from the pockets of the peo-
pie into smoke. But, hand-in. hand
with this increase in the consumption
Of tobacco, there appears to have been
during the same period an augmenta-
tion in the number oflunatics in France
from 5000 to 1000, or rather so, 900,
if we take into account other lunaticc
besides those in the public asylums.
Nor is that all there are other diseases
Of the nervous centres referred to the
same origin, and not mentioned in the
statistics, which raise the sum total to
100000 persons who in France alone
suffer from the poisonous effects of to.
bacoo-smoke.
Proceeding with bis inquiries, DR..
Jolly visited all the asylums, and con.
suited the ease-books of private prac-
tice, In order TO throw more light on
this important subjeot and the result
ia his firm conviction that among the
men it is muscular or narcotic paralysi,
which predominates and constitutes the
excess of the normal number of luna.
tics, whilst the other forms of madness
dislose but slight variations in their
nnmberj and, among the antecedents Of
the cases, he always found that they
could be traced TO "the abuse of tobac.
CO." In the asylums for female luna.
tics, on the contrary, he only found the
older forms ofinsanity, and general pa
Talysis was exceptional.
Of course In all this there might be
only condolences become numerous
they are equivalent to demonstrations,
and It positively averred that general
paralysis preferentally attacks persons
who smoke tobacco more or less satu-
rated with nicotine. Soldiers and sail
ors especially, who smoke more than
others of the population, figure fore
most In the number Of paralytio lunatcs
whilst, on the other hand, women are
almost exempt from that malady, Those
populations who do rot smoke, or who
smoke inert substances, such as hops or
tea, enjoy the same immunity.
Perhaps it may be said that the abuse
Of alcoholic liquors ia too often the con-
comitant of that Of tobacco to allow us
to separate the effects of tho two caus-
esi but without denying the pernicous
effects OF the Frenchman's favorite alb
sinthe, cognaC, and other spirituous IL
quors, in the progress of the evil, Dr.
Jolly believes he has demonstrated that
the abuse Of tobacco must be regarded
as the chiei cause of the general paraly-
sis Of the insane, and for the following
reasonsi He met with paralytio mad.
men who had been drinkers, but
imln0derate smokers and DR., MaiIlot,
chief OF the French army board of
Health, found that among the very nu.
nervous cases Of paralysis coming under
his notice, there were many patients
who were remarkable for their sobriety
as 10 the use Of spirituous liquors, but
immoderate smokers of the pipe or ci-
gar Finally, In certain provinces of
Ifrsnaa Zoe fnetauoa Ia Cafnthn,,a III