Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-23
SOME STARTLING SCIENTIFIC STATE
MENTS FOR SMOKERS.

startled the smokers of Paris by drawing
attention to the fact that the use of to-
bacco had peculiar effect on the pulse.
which he styled intermittency, and by
| tracing the phenomenon, then for the first
time accurately described, to a rhythm
lcally intermittent action of the heart.
without organic disease, and due especially
| TO the narcotic action of the nicotine and
other potent alkaloids present in the
| tobacco leaf. He had at that time care.
iuily studied the causes of eighty-one in
! yeterate smokers, in twenty-three of whom
the intermittent pulse was a confirmed
| trouble, not associated with any real heart
disease. The intermittence vanished when
the habit was abandoned even for q few
weeks, and reappeared as coon as the use
| OF the poison was resumed. In coniunc-
ton with this series of studies on adults he
investigated the influence of tobacco on the
circulation of boys from to Is wears of
age, and discovered that not only did il
! produce palpitation of the heart and inter
mlttency of pulse, but also a peculiar con-
dition Of the blood itself allied to anamia.
Lazlness, stupidity, and indisposition TO
! apply the mind to study were traced, with
| probable accuracy, to the habit of smoking
ia many of these lads, and, when
formed early, he found that smoking
gradually brought predisposition to alco-
holic stImulants, and that, in some in
stances, the starting point of a criminal
career dated from the fret secret indul-
gence of the vice-producing by slow de-
grees, when acting upon constitution still
extremely flexible, complete moral and
intellectual transformation as well as physi-
cal degeneracy. NJ. Decaisne, according
to Paris medical Journal, has Just con-
trlbuted to the annals of the same society
valuable appendix to his former paper, in
which he takes up the effect of smoking
upon women, forty three cases of which
have come under his observation since
1865, when he commenced this special
series of studies. Besides disturbance of
the digestive function which was common
to them all, eight presented q marked in
termittency of the pulse without organic
disease OF tbe heart. No medical treat
ment proved of the least avail to correct the
dlsLempered function, tonics and sedatives
being equally powerless. At length be was
compelled to insist on his patients discon-
tinuing the use of tobacco, and in each
case where smoking was actually given up
the cautious writer says actually because
ne found women more inclined to deceive
than men IN this regard-the trouble was
Immediately relieved and ameliorated
and when the suppression of the habit was
perseveTed in for few weeks with steady
purpose, the alarming symptoms disap-
peared altogether. N. Decaisne offers no
rationale of the action of the narcotic, and
enters into no analysis of the dis
ease now familiar to popular parlanee
as smokers heart; but here his observa-
tons are supplemented by those of a care
full microscopic observer, who has discov-
cred that all narcotics-opium and it's
preparations, hasheesh, ETC., as well as
tobacco-act IN peculiar manner upon the
colored corpuscles of the blood, producing
the phenomenon styled crenation-that is,
the margin of the corpuscle, instead of pos
sessing the absolute regularity of margin
noticed in the condition Of health, presents
series OF scallops somewhat irregular in
their distribution. When viewed by
obhque light under the microscope, this
appearan &c is found to be due to the con-
version of the corpuscle into minute sac.
apparently containing some hundreds of
spherical bodies about one four. thousandth
of miliimeter in diameter. In few
hours the sac ruptures and the imprisoned
germs or organisms escape into the sur
io0huAhS Pta9tild ~ AOAi III baCtGIlh WHEN the
conditions are favorable. a few such
crenated corpuscles, in the proportion of
one to $50, occur in the circulation OF per
sons in normal health, not addicted to mar
cotics; but in the opium and tobacco
habits, when of long standing, the ratio
is sometimes as high ss one degenerated
csrpuscle to ten healthy ones, and often az
tains the figure of one to twenty. five or
tbIrfyr In s11ch Tho -
pale and almost cyanotic dark circles ap-
pear beneath the eyes, which lack lustsr
and are deeply sunken, and the respir..
ton is weak and easily disturbed while
the heart palpitates violently upon very
slight muscular exertion. An incident IL
Illustrating the sequel of this appearance Of
the blood occurred few months ago in the
office OF manufacturing optician of this
city. AS the Professor of Microscopy in
one of our medical colleges dropped in a
gentleman of evidently large wealth and
finished intellectual culture was just leav-
ing the office with cigar between his lips.
He was a wealthy amateur, and had select
ed a valuable microscope, using drop Of
blood from his own finger as q test object.
The instrument was still adjusted, and the
slide still beneath the lens. The Professor
glanced at it, then moved the slide to and
fro, so as to study one field after another
| then counted few fields, and made rapid
computation. The optician looked on in
astonishment. That gentleman is one of
our best customers" he said "buys more
heavily than half dozen Professors.
And is this drop of his blood :" asked
TIM man OF science, musingly. The pur
veyOr of lenses assented. Every well,
replied the Professor, tell YOUR best GUS
toner, if You can without impertinence,
that unless ne stops smoking at ence he
has not many months to live" But he did
not stop. A few weeks later he went to
Europe, thinking a sea voyage might recruit
his wasted energies. In a few weeks more
his death was announced by telegraph from
Paris, where the doctors styled his disease
a general breaking up.-[New York Times,