Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-07-03
Smoking and Thinking.

THAT which Injuries or enfeebles the
blood, must as matter of course, affect
the health and activity of the brain If,
then, we ascertain the physiological effect
of tobacco upon the life-fuid, we shall be
in a fair way for deciding the question,
especially if we find individual cases con
tirming the views thus arrived at There
is nothing stronger in medical evidence
than the agreement of physiology and pa
thology. DIR. Richardson has so clearly
explained the influence of smoking upon
the blood that it will be best to quote his
graphic account. His scientific eminence
entities his evidence to respect and lovers
of the weed must recollect that it is
smoker to whom they are listening: "On
the blood the prolonged inhalation of to-
bacco produces changes which are very
marked in character. The fluid is thinner
than is natural and in extreme cases paler
In such instances the deficient color of
the blood is communicated to the body
altogether, rendering the external surface
yellowish, white and puffy The blood
being thin, also eXudes freely and cut
surface bleeds for long time, and many
continue to bleed inconvenientlv, even in
opposition to remedies. But the most inn
portant change is exerted on those little
bodies which float in myriads in the
blood, and are known as the red globules.
These globules have naturally a double
concave surface, and at their edges per
fectly smooth outline. They are very sol
uble in alkalies and are subject to change
of shape and character, when the quality
of the fluid in which they float is modified
in respect to density. The absorption,
therefore, of the fumes of tobacco neces-
sarily leads to rapid changes in them they
lose their round shape, they become oval
and irregular at their edges, and instead
OF having mutual attraction for each
other and running together, a good sign
of their physical health, they lie, loosely
scattered before the eye, and indicate to
the learned observer, as clearly as though
they spoke TO him, and said the words,
that the man from whom they were
taken is physically depressed and deplor
ably deficient both in muscular and men,
tai power Tobacco modifies the circu-
| lation in the brain, as in other portions of
| the body. Hence, it would be remarkable
indeed If ii did not exercise some intiu
ence upon the mechanism of thought.
"A sincere, self-obServing smoker cannot
TAI" says Nj. Meunier, ''to recognize that
tobacco creates new nature, more dis
posed to dreaming than action AL
lnOugn great smoker himself, he con-
sidered the habit was inimical to the ma
tional mind. His frequent diatribes
against this mort AR peoples excited
much raillery; but the habit of twenty
years was long too strong for him. SO
close was the connection between work
and smoke with NJ. Meunier, that the
| amount of intellectual labor he had per-
formed was chronicled by the extent of
MS consumption of tobacco. When, at
ias' after many fruitleSs attempts, he put
ms conduct in harmony with his opinions,
1t required several weeks of undivided at
tentlon to break the chains of habit which
bound him. The mode by which nicotine
acts upon the blood-vessels explains the
apparent contradiction that it should be
able TO excite into momentary activity an
organ which it has enfeebled and stupe
fed. The excitement and over activity