Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1878-02-02

| eral drops, or II, instead OF administer
ing it internally, the animal is made e
breathe it for some time, II dies all tn,
same, the effect in this last case seeming
to be due, in Il great measure, to tn,
| presence of ammonia. In a dose of 8
single drop, dangerous results are not
produced upon large animals, but those
of small size are killed instantane-
oGsly. Among the effects observed, un-
der these circumstances, the most con-
slant are fribillar tremblings, a general
congestion of the superficial vessels,
stupor and a contraction of the muscles
of the abdomen.
A peculiar fact in this connection is,
that nicotine is one of the poisons the
effect of which is most speedily dissipat-
ed, and the habituation to which is soon
est accomplished Contrary, too, to
what has generally been supposed, the
vapor of nicotine, at the ordinary tenn
perature, is not dangerous, though it is
quite otherwise if the liquid be allowed
TO reach a state of ebullition.
Supplementary to DIR. Lebon's re-
searches may be cited the investigations,
made almost cotemporaneously, by
Drs. Foil and Gutenberg, in this same
field, and which have given rise to AT
least an equal amount of discussion
among PSYCHOLOGISTS, embracing, as
they do, not only an examination of the
products generated by the combustion
of tobacco during smoking, but also the
physiological effects of the bases ex-
tracted from tobacco smoke, and the
chemical composition of commercial to-
bacco for smoking, for chewing, and
snuff
The article sold for smoking purposes
was invariably found by them to con-
tam nicotine, amounting sometimes to
four per cent. or more, while in tobacco
used for chewing and snuff only minute
traces OF that alkaloid could be detect
ed, so that nicotine poisoning from
chewing or snufiing would appear to be
very prob lem atical-indeed, it is assert
ed that no such cases are on record.
Among the gaseous products given
off during the smoking of good
tobacco and cigars, there were found |
oxygen, hydrogen, marsh gas and |
carbonic oxide, besides the more readily |
condensible gases and vapors sulphur
ated hydrogen and hydrocyanic acid,
and occasionally sulphocyanic acid, this
case being produced at later stage by
the action of sulphurated hydrogen on
hydrocyanic acid. The acid and nom
basic products formed are various. The
most interesting fact developed in these
was that no nicotine
could be detected among the basic pro-
1ucts of the distillation-proying that
he injurious effects of tobacco-smoking
ire not TO be attributed to nicotine On
he contrary, according to these chem
SITS, it was in the alkaloids of the pyrid-
n or pycolin series, well known to be
Produced during the destructive distilla-
ion of wood and other vegetable pro-
iucts, that the poisonous influences are
ound. These were tested upon pigeons
md Guinea pigs, and were found to
produce tetanic spasms, irregular action
# the heart, and death. The same
'ases, obtained from other sources than
obacco, produced similar effects. As
he same pyridin bases are among the
PRODUCTS of the distillation of opium,
)rs. Vohl and Eulenberg-contrary to )
iS SoHSiuslohs dllhtu Ut Ny ilOsl oiutT :
xperimenters in this attribute the l
fleets produced by smoking this drug !
0 the picolin series of alkalOids rather :
han to morphia. /
The theory just presented, novel as it :
seems, acquires additional in :
crest from some very recent investiga- =
ons on the composition of tobacco
moke, with especial reference to the
slative preparations of carbonic acid
nd carbonic oxide, made by DIR. =
rause, German chemist of much en- !; !;
hence. His results show that the u
noke invariably contains a considera- .
lie proportion of the very poisonous y
as, carbonic oxide, every one hundred
olumes of smoke containing, in fact, y =.
a an average, nine and three-tenths =
,lumes of carbon oxide and twelve and y
vo-tenths of carbonic acid. This be- &c