The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-10-20
ACigar scientifically Dlssected.

polite visitor who, during his inter-
view with us, had rendered our sanctum
rdo'ent with the fumes Of "a fragrant
Havana, ha, Just left cigar ON our
table with the laughing request that We
smoke TO- Despite the fact that it is an
exceptionally fine cigar, we are unable
90 crafty our friend, seeing that we
don't smoke; but the thought occurs
that We can show our appreciation Of
he gift by applying the light, not Of a
match but Of science, 10 il, and thus
giving our friend and his brother smOk-
ers something 20 ponder over next time
1.-THE blue up-curling smoke" leads
them TO REVERE.
To the world in general a cigar is
merely a tightly rolled packet having
brittle fragments of dry leaves within,
and q smooth, silky leaf for Its outer
wrapper When Il is burnt and the
pleasantly favored smoke inhaled, the
habitual smoker claims for il a soothing
luxury that quiets the irritable, nervous
organism, relieves WEAKNESS and en-
tees rep0se. Science, scouting SO SUI
periicial a description, examines first
ash. IN the smoke is discovered water
.n yaporous state, SCOT (free carbon),
carbonic acid aud carbonic oxide, and
vaporous substance condensable into
Oily nicotine. These are the general
divisions, which Nohl and Gutenberg
nave still further split up; and in
so doing have found acetic, formic,
outyrc, valerie and propionic acids,
prus,iC acid, CreOsote and carbOiic
aeld, ammonia, sulphuretted hydrogen,
pyrldlne, yiridine, picoline, lutidine,
colledine, paryoline, coridine, and ru-
odene. These last are a series of oily
bases belonging To- the homologues Of
anlline. first discovered in coal tar
APPLYING chemical tests TO the leaves,
olher chemists have found nicOtia, to-
oacco camphor or nicotianine (about
winch not much is known), bitter eX-
uactlve matter, gum, chlorophyll, NAL
s'e OF lime, sundry albuminoids, malic
acld, woody fiber, and various salts.
The feathery white ash, which in its
cohesion and wilderness is Indicative Of
'ne good cigar, yields potash, soda,
niagnesia, lime, phosphoric acid, sui
Pnuric acid, silica. and chlorine. Our
iHend has kindly left Us a fine cigar /;
had It been a poor and cheap one, the
ingredients we should extract would be
fearful and wonderful TO contemplate
mere Is the list from an English parlia-
uenlary report on deliberations in to-
oacco. Sugar, alum, lime, flour or meal,
Inuoarb leaves, saltpeter, fuller's earth,
starch, malt commings, chromate of
eaa, peat moss, molasses, burdock
eaves, common salt, eudive leaves,
Iampblack, gum, red dye, a black dye
composed of vegetable red, iron, and
Aquorice, scraps of newspaper, CHINA
mon stick, cabbage caves and straw
Drown paper.
returning now TO the smoke, or rath-
ct Its ingredients, DIR. b. w. Richard
son, m his "Diseases of Modern Life "
considers the effect OF the same on the
oody at considerable length, basing his
conclusions on actual investigation. He
SeIls us that water, Of course, is harm
leSsi free water acts mechanically as
an lrritant, and tends TO discolor the
Secretions and the teeth. Ammonia
olles the tongue, exercises a solvent
nhuence on the blood, excites the sail