The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-29
a CHOICE Of EVILS.
Is 1t Better to 10 OF Poisoned Cigar
cites or Sad Cigars?
Finm the Nc York Graphi

cites or Sad ClgarSP
From the Ne,c York Graphic
The last note Of alarm, and one which
will strike with formidable resonance III the
ears of timid, nervous and tanciful people
who are given TO smoking tobacco, has been
SOUNDED in anEngiish paper by medical CO =
respondent, VINO states that having fou I'd i'll
! the course of his private practice and that of
! the hospital to whica he is ATTACHED a
marked increase in cases of malignant
throat diseases, he, together with some of
his colleagues, have made some very care
ful researches into causes of this dis
quoting p0rtent, and, finding that the suf
fererS from this special form of dis >ase
were almost exclusively males, they not I'M
naturally adopted the inference that smok-
ing was, i'll great many instances. TIE prl-
mary cause of these thoracic disturbances.
1t must be at once admitted that the medi
cal alarmist in question is not by his own
statement by any means one of those who
consider the pipe, the cigar or the ordinary
cigarette necessarily injurious; but he has
come to the conclusion that the tobacco in
cigarettes directly imported from Egypt
and Turkey is mixed presumably to impart
| to it characteristic flavor, with some in
Sidious poison.
This conclusion was not adoptel without
MAXI, & a careful analysis of cigarettes
manufactured at home from foreign Tobacco ;,
and of the Egyptian and Turkish produc .
themselves. In the latter was found a
large proportion of opium and an unclassi-
| fed alkalod which was totally absent from
the former
Thus, argues the medical gentleman, it
will be obvious that an irritant poison con-
stantly brought into contact with the region
of perhaps the most sensitive part of the
human organization is calculated to bring
about serious organic trouble; and he con-
sequently deems it his duty to warn the
public against what he contends to be a
grave danger lurking in their midst.
Undoubtedly, says the London Tele
graph, from more than one point of view
the medical gentleman has every riglt to be
considered a public benefactor; and, IL
Egyptian and Turkish cigarettes are really
found to yield dangerous proportion Of
irritant poison, be it In the shape OF opium
Or of some unclassified alkaloid, the sale of
such commodities should be generally dis
cOuraged, and, if necessary, suppressed by
the law.
There are, of course, the Telegraph con-
tinues, choice cigars made of rare and
fragrant tobacco, delicately cured, symmet-
really rolled, scientifically finished, dain-
tily packed, aud these cigars are worth all
the money that the most expensive tobac-
conist can charge for them. Yet it is unde
niable that England and the Continent of
Europe are deluged with vile cigars, COM
posed, we do not doubt it, in most cases of
some kind of tobacco. but which absolutely
reek with essential oil, which is all acrid and
Irritant poison. Will the doctors kindly tell
us which component Is the most perilous to
lite and health-the slight quantity of
opium or some unclassifed alkaloid which
may be mixed in Egyptian and Turkish to-
bacco, or the horrible oil which p )isons the
inferior cigar? 1t is, perhaps, for the rea-
son that thoroughly good cigars are so costly
and so difficult to obtain That even polite
society has of late years taken to smoking
briar wood pipes In the country and cigar
cites in town. OF course the cigarette
should be devoid of any poisonous admix
ture; but, were the Egyptian and Turkish
products thoroughly dscredited, it is to be
feared that some new medical prophet of
evil would arise to prove to demonstration
that bronchitis, laryngitis and diphtheria
were all largely on the increase, in conse-
quence of the adulteration with some act
i've poison or some unclaSsifed alkaloid of
South Russian, Cuban, Louisianian, Mexl-
can or South African tobacco.