Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-19
A Cigar Scientifically Dissected.

redolent with the fumes of a FRAGRANT
Havana, has just LETT a cigar a6n our
table with the laughing request that We
smoke it. Despite theIfact thatiit is an
exceptionally fine cigar, we a 4 unable
to crafty our friend, seeing that we
don't smoke; but the thought occurs
that we can show our appreciation of
the gift by applying the light, hot Of a
match but of science, TO it, and thus
giving our friend and his brother sfiokl
ers something to ponder over next time
"the blue up-curlinai smoke - leads
them to reverie. l..ieTtoe1 anqf,ass !
To the world in general a. cigar is
merely a tightly rolled packet having
brittle fragments of dry, leaves within,
and a smooth, silky leaf for its outer
wrapper. When it is burnt and the
pleasantly favored smoke inhaled, the
habitual smoker claims for it a soothing
luxury that quiets the irritable, nervous
organism, relieves WEAKNESS and en-
tees repose. Science, scouting SO su-
perficial a description, examines first
the smoke, second the leaf, third the
ash. In the smoke is discovered water
in vaporous1 STATE, scott (frr.e carbonN.
carbonic5 acid and carloonieioxide, and
a vaporous substance ~condensable into
oily nicotine. T9These ltre the general
divisions, which Vohl and Gutenberg
have still further split UP; and in
SO doing have found acetic, formic,
butyric, valerie and propionic acids,
prussic acid, creosote and carbolic
acid, ammonia, sulphuretted hydrogen,
pyridine, yiridine, picoline, lutidine,
c~olledine, parvoline, coridine, and ru-
bidene. These last are a series of oily
bases belonging to the homologues of
a%niline, first discovered id coaIPtar
APPLYING chemical testsi tolthe leaves,
other chemists have found ~picotia, to-
bacco camphor. or n%icotianine (about
which not much is known), a bitter ex-
tractive matter, gum, chlorophy4, NAL
ate of lime, sundry albriminoms, malic
acid, woody fiber, and various sails!
The feathery white ash, which in it's
cohesion and whiteness is indicative of
the good cigar, yields potash, soda
magnesla, lime, phosphoric acid, sui
phuric acid, silica, and chlorine. Our
friend has kindly left us q fine cigar;
had it been a poor and cheap one, the
ingredients we should extract would be
fearful and wonderful to contemplate.
Here is the list from an English parlia-
mentary report on authorizations in to-
bacco. Sugar, alum, lime, flour or meal,
rhubarb leaves, saltpeter, fuller's earth,
starch, malt commings, chromate of
lead, peat moss, mols.sses, burdock
leaves, common salt, endiye leaves,
lampblack, gum, red dye, a black dye
composed of vegetable red, iron, and
liquorice, scraps of newspaper, cinna-
mon stick, cabbage caves and straw
brown paper
Returning now to the smoke, or rath-
er its ingredients, DR.. b. w. Richard
son, in his Diseases of Modern Life -
considers the effect of the same on the
body at considerable lengths basing his
conclusions on actual investigation. He
tells us that water, of course, is .harm-
less; free water acts mechanically as
an irritant, and tends to discolor the
secretions and the. teeth. Ammonia
bites the tongue, exercises a solvent
influence on the blood, excites the sail
vary glands, and thus causes % desire, to
drink while smoking. The tendency Of
carbonic acid is to prodhce sleepiness,
headache, and lassitude. When a cigar
is smoked badly, that is, when the COM
bustion of the cigar is slow and incom-
plete, carbonic oxide is produced in
small quantities, and is an active pois-
oning agent, resulting in irregular mo-
ton of the heart, vomiting, convulsions
of the muscles, and droWsiness. The
nicotine tends to cause tremor, palpita-
ton of the heart, and paralysis. The
volatile empyreumatic substance pro-
duees a sense of oppression and taints
the breath and surroundings of the
smoker with the we'll known estate to-
baccO smoke" smell. The bitter ex-
tract causes that sharp nauseus taste
peculiar to a re-lighted cigar or an old
pipe. - -.
BY trying the effect of tobacco smoke
on lower animals, we Can obtain an
idea of its influence on ourselves. Small
insects are stupefied rapidly, but re-
cover in fresh air. Cold-blooded ami
mails succumb slowly to the smoke,
birds rapidly. Some animals, such as
the goat, can a tobacco with impu-
nifty; but none escape the effects of the
fumes. Persons suffer most from to-
bacco while learning to smoke: DIR.
Richardson says that the spasmodic
seizures are sometimes terrible, espe-
cially in boys. There is a sensation of
imminent death, the heart nearly ceases
to beat, and sharp pains shoot through
the chest. Examination of inferior an
finals under such conditions show that
"the brain is pale and empty of blood;
the stomach Redeemed in round spots,
so raised and pile-like that they resem-
BILE patches of Utrecht ~valvet." The
blood is preternaturally fluid, the lungs
are as pale as those of a dead calf, and
the heart is feebly trembling: such is
the primary action of ones first cigar.
After a time, however, the body be-
comes accustomed to the influences of
the poison; and with the exception of
constant functional disturbances lowing
to the discretionary organs, notably the
kidneys, being compelled to do work
not essential to their duties), no dis
tressing results are felt. There are nu-
merous instances where the evil effects
are scarcely appreciable, the physical