Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-31
THE CIGAR.
A Scientific Dissection of the Smokers De-
light.
Scientific American.

| 10 the world IN general cigar 1
merely q tightly-rolled packet havin.
brittle fragments of dry leaves within
and smooth silky leaf for it's cute
wrapper. When it is burnt, and tn
pleasantly favored smoke inhaled, ha
bltual smokers claim for it soothin,
luxury that quiets the irritable, nerv
GUS organism, relieves WEAKNESS, ant
entlces repose. Science, scouting 81
superficial a description, examines frs
the smoke, second the leaf, third TIA,
ash. In the smoke is discovered wate1
IN vaporous state, SCOT (free carbon)
J carbon1c acid and carbonic oxide, ane
a vaporous substance condensed into
oily nicotine. These are the genera
divisions which Vohl and Gutenberg
have still further split up; and in so do
ing have found acetic, formic, butyric,
valerie, and propionic acids, ammonia
sulphurreted hydrogen, pyridine, viri-
dine, picoline, lutidine, collodine, par
voline, cOridine, and rubedene. These
last are series of oily bases belonging
to the homologues of aniline, first dis
covered in coal tar. Applying chemical
tests other chemists have found nicotia,
tobacco, camphor or nicotianine (about
which not much is known), s. bitter ex-
tractlve matter, gum, chlorophyll, ma
late of lime, sundry albuminoids, malic
acid, woody fibre, and various salts.
The feathery white ash, which in it's
cohesion and whiteness is Indicative of
the good cigar, yields potash, soda,
magnesia, lime, phosphoric acid, sui
phuric acid, silica, and chlorine. Our
friend has kindly left us q good cigar;
had it been q poor and cheap one,
the ingredients we should extract
would be fearful and wonderful
to contemplate. Here is the list from
an English Parliamentary report on
authorizations in tobacco: Sugar, alum,
-four or meal, rhubarb leaves, salt
peter, fuller's earth, starch, malt-com-
mings, chromate of lead, peat moss,
molasses, burdock leaves, common
salt, endive leaves, lampblack, gum,
red dye, black dye composed of veg
etable red, iron and hcorice, scraps of
newspaper, cinnamon stick, cabbage
leaves and straw brown paper.
Returning now to the smoke, or
rather it's Ingredients, DR.. B. w. Rich
ardson, in his Diseases of Modern
Life" considers the effect of the same
on the body at considerable length,
basing his conclusions On actual inves-
tigation. He tells us that water, of
course, is harmless; free carbon 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 salivary glands, and thus causes a
desire to drink while smoking. The
tendency of csrbonic acid is to pro-
duce sleepiness, headache and lassi-
tude. When cigar is smoked badly,
that is, when the combustion Of the to-
bacco is slow and incomplete, carbonic
oxide is produced in small quantities,
and as an active poisoning agent, re-
sultlng IN irregular motion of the
heart, vomiting, commissions of the
muscles and drowsiness. The nicotine
tends to cause tremor, palpitation of
the heart and paralysis. The volatile
empy-rheumatic substance produces a
sense of oppression and taints the
breath and surroundings of the smoker
with the well known "stale tobacco
smoke" smell. The bitter extract
causes that sharp nauseous taste pecu-
lar to a relighted cigar.
By trying the effect of tobacco
smoke on lower animals, we can obtain
an idea of its influence on ourselves.
Small insects are Supplied rapidly, but
recover On fresh air. Cold-bloOded an
imals succumb slowly the smoke, birds
rapidly. Some animals, such as the
goat, can eat tobacco with impunity;
but none esca pc 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, espec-
tally 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
animals under such conditions shows
that " the brain is pale and empty Of
blood, the stomach Redeemed in round
spots, so raised that they resemble
patches of Utrecht velvet" The blood
is prematurely fluid, the lungs are as
pale as those of dead calf, and the
heart is feebly trembling; such is the
primary action of ones first cigar.
Afer time, however the
body becomes accustomed to
the influence of the poison;
and with the exception of con-
slant functional disturbances lowing to
the excretory organs, notably the kid
neys, being compelled to do work not
essential to their duties) no distressing
results are felt. There are numerous
instances where the evil effects are
scarcely appreciable, the physical and
nervous constitution Of the smoker be-
ing capable of resisting the influence.
In many cases copious salvation at
tends smoking, and in this circumstance
the opponents of tobacco have found a
strong argument. Still, either to expec-
torate or not to do SO is choice of two
evils. In the latter case the result is to
] swallow the saliva charged with poison
GUS matter; in the former, the saliva
needed to prepare food for digestion is
lost, and, as it contains salts of lime in
solution, the effect is to produce large
formations of tartar on the teeth.
"Smoker's sore throat" is special IT.
ritable state of the mucous membrane
i