Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-28
Who sheuld Not smoke.

is smoking injurious ?' This is an everyday
question apt to be put by patients to theif doc
!OIs- Like most broad questions of the kind IL
involves far too many considerations TO admit of
being answered by plain yes or no. medical
man, Ut; 4. u. Gray, who has long been q mod
crate smoker, and watches the effect of the bahit
ON himself and others, here offers what he
believes to be the true answer to the question.
flrst OF all, there must be an understanding
a pD the quality of the tobacco to be smoked.
bad. Z. G.. rank, quickly intoxicating and pros
rating tobacco Certain kinds of shag and cav
enulsh, Tor instance, } must ALWAYS be iniurious
rev can smoke them at all-none habit1ally, at
least,-With impunity. So, too, with regard to
quantity; even good tobacco smoked to excess
Will to certainty be injurious to the smoker.
sooner OF later, in some way or another. of the
will be said presently. --'O-
Next, as to the smokers. There are people to
Whom any tobacco, however smoked, Is simply
POISON causing, even in small doses, vomiting
paLor, and alarming prostratiOn. Such people
never get seasoned to its effects, even after re-
peated trials, and IL they are wise thew will for
ever Iet II alone. They will display still further
WISDOM by not presumiDg to make laws for others
VINO have not the same idiOsyncrasy.
no one can enjoy smoking or smoke with i'm
punlty, when out of health The phrase "out of
health, though 1t may sound vague, is definite
enough to frame a general rule. AT the same
time II Is useful to know what, If any, are the
particular disorders and conditions of health in
when tobacco does special harm. As far as the
writer's knowledge goes, these have never been
speSlhed by medical writer's as clearly as is de-
/
To begin, a man with a bad appetite will, If he
smoke, most assuredly eat still less-a note
worthy fact for smokers others recovering
from wasting illness or I" OFF their feed FROM
whatever cause. This effect o tobacco, by the
way, while an evil to the sick man, who cannot
eat enough, becomes a boon to the starved man,
who cannot get enough to eat; and ample illus
tratiOn of this was furnished among the French
and German soldiers in the recent war Again,
no man should smoke who has a dirty tongue a
bad taste in his mouth, or a weak or disorder.d
tobacco. 1t should be golden rule with smokers,
that the pipe or cigar which Is not smoked with
| relish had better not be smoked at all. Indi-
geston IN every shape is aggravated by smoking,
but most especially tAat form of il commonly
known as atomic and accompanied with fatri-
lence; Diarrh9a, as rule, is made worse by
smoking.
One of the commOnest and earliest effects of
excessive or untimely smoking is to make the
hand shake. This gives the clue to another
class of persons who ought not to smOke-per-
sons, namely, who have weak, unsteady nerves
and suffer from giddIness, confusion of sight
tremulOus hands, tendency to stammer, or sny
such symptoms. And if tobacco does harm in
mere functional weakness, still less allowable Is
II in actual organic disease of the nervous sys-
tenn as, for instance, where there exists any
degree OF paralysis or other sign of degeneratiye
change In the brain or spinal cord. The inn
somehow interfere with due nutrition of nerve
substance. An illustration of this familiar IN
| oculsts and medical men, is the sO-caled to-
4
| in excessive smokers from mal-nutrition of the
ret1na Another class of persons who ought not
TO smoke are those who have weak or unsteady
ciIculatlOlis, and complain OF such troubles as
| palpitanOn, cardiac pain, intermittent pulse
habitually cold hands and feet, or chronic lam
guOr.
Lastly, there is reason for believing that the
habitual use of tobacco is likely to Tetard the
due growth and development of the body. If
so, no one should become a smoker till he is well
past the period of puberty. BOYS. moreover
have no excuse for smoking, for they are spared
the hard wear and tear OF adult life.
Now, after eliminating those who from idios-
yEcrasy cannot, and those who from bodily all
ment or from tender years should not smoke
there will still always be large residuum Of
happy folk who can smoke, enjoy smoking, and
are indeed the better for it. These are they who
use tobacco without sbusing it-use it, that is
TO say, in moderate quantity, in due season, and
honestly for the sake of the comfort which IL
gives them-a comfort eyerybit as Legitimate as
that which drinkers of tea coffee or wine ex-
tract in each case from their fayOrite beverage