The Osceola times., 1884-07-12
TOBACCO As A MEDICINE.
Gen. Ciingmsn Tells Marvellous Stories
About Il.

Gen. Ci,ngman Tells Marvellous Stories
Gen. Clingman of North Carolina in
his article on "The Tobacco Remedy"
in Health and Home, announces his be-
lief that the use of wet tobacco as poul-
tice will be instrumental in saving many
thousands of lives annually in the Unit
ed States. He gives list of marvellous
cures he has witnessed, beginning with
one half century ago, when he saw
man treating Inflammation in horses
eye with tobacco juice. He tells Of a sig
nal cure of sprain of his right ankle in
1874 by the application of wet tobacco
leaves. In August, 1854, the General
was shot through the leg below the knee
cutting the muscles, and nerves, and
making long and painful wound.
He says, about that time several of my
friends had died ofsecondary fever which
followed their wounds. In a few days
my left leg began to swell and throb
with heat. The surgeon said ! must
keep it wrapped in wet cloths told
them that l would keep down the in
fammation by application of tobacco.
They at once asserted that such an appli-
cation would be ruinous. After they left
] sent my servant for some tobacco, en-
veloped the wounded leg in it, and kept
it wet with the cloths over 1t. The pain
in an hour or two diSlinished, and the
heat and throbbing ceased, and rested
more quietly than had been doing. On
the next day, when the surgeons called
to see me, on looking at the wound they
expressed much surprise, and said, you
may keep on the tobacco" / remember
that Gen. Robert +. Lee called to see me
that day, and, after looking at me mo-
ment said, "Oh, General, you are not GO
ing to die, your eye is too bright" The
tobacco being a powerful nerve tonic, il
always greatly excites my intellectual
faculties. Although several months
passed before / could walk without
crutches. yet had no fever and little
pain from the Inflammation. ! am sat.
isfied that if tobacco were properly ap-
piled no external wound would ever be-
20 me sufficiently in1amed to cause
modification.
The General next records an instance
of a cure of his right eve which had re-
ceived severe blow aimed by driver
| at tha nf 10 No.
count of the successful application OF
wet tobacco leaves as a cure for the fiery
red and much swollen eyes of a lawyer
in Asheville, North Carolina. This law
yer recommended the remedy to two
young LADIES' in North Carolina at place
whore red sore eyes were epidemic. The
young ladies slept with wet tobacco
leaves on their eyes and were cured by
morning. Inseveral other cases he found
the remedy useful for curing sore eyes.
As remedy for sore throat the Gen
eral says that application Of wet tobacco
leaves has been found by him to be un-
failing. He instances his own expert
ence at Aqua Creek, the case of lady
who took his advice, and cites the te,ti-
mony of his brother, a physician in n.
Carolina, who often applied wet tobacco
leaves in the cases of sore throat.
Gen. Clingman also testiiies to the value
of tobacco leaves as cure for erysipelas
of the head, and gives details of several
instances in which he found it effective.
In one instance, he says, he subdued a
severe erysipelas in the face. and ply
sician told him afterward: "No doctor
could have cured you in three weeks"
On one occasion he says he cured him
self of terribly painful attack of sciatica
greatly aggravated by the treatment OF
two physicians. He did this Dy apply
ing wet tobacco leaves to his hip. He
also cured bunions of long standing by
applying wet tobacco leaves a single
night. He cured United States sena-
tor of intolerable pain in the side and
back with wet tobacco leaves, and says
he has many other cures which he could
relate He warns his readers not TO use
manufactured tobacco, because ofthe de-
leteriousncss Of various drugs used in the
manufacture, such as Tonqua bean, win
tergreen, ana poisonous substances. He
cautioned those who use tobacco as a
remedy to apply only the pure leaf to-
bacco.