The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-12-28
THE USE or TOBACCO.

oil, an alkaloid, nicotine, and another sub
stance called nicotianine, in which exist
its odorous and volatile principles. When
tobacco is burned, new set Of substances
is produced some of which are less harm
full than the nicotine, and are more agree
a substance quite as irritating and poison
Gus as nieotine-is carried off. These fire.
produced substances are called, from their
origin, the ''pyridine series" BY great
heat the more aromatic and less harmful
members of the series are produced, but
the more poisonous compounds are gener-
ated by the slow combustion of damp
tobacco. This oil which is liberated by
combustion is bad both in flavor and in
effect, and it is BETTER even for the imme-
diate pleasure Of the smoker, that it
should be excluded altogether from his
mouth and air passages.
Smoking in stub of a pipe is partieu-
larry injurious, for the reason that in it
the oil is stored in condensed folm, and
the smoke is therefore highly charged with
the oil. Sucking or chewing the stub of a
cigar that one is smoking is a serious mis-
take, because the nicotine in the unburned
tobacco dissolves freely in the saliva, and
is absorbed. Chewing is ON this ac-
count the most injurious form of the to-
baeeo habit, and tire use Of cigar holder
is an improvement on the custom of hold
ing the cigar between the teeth. Cigar
cites are responsible for great amount Of
mischief not because the smoke from the
paper has any particularly evil effect, but
because smokers and they are often boys
or very young men-are apt to use them
continuously or at frequent intervals, be
lieving that their power for evil is insig
nificant. Thus the. nerves are under the
constant influence of the drug, and much
injury to the system results. Moreover,
the cigarette smoker uses very consider
able amount Of tobacco during the course
of day. dipping" and 'snuffing'' are
-barbarities which need not be dis
cussed. Net much effect is obtained from
the use of the drug in these varieties of
the habit.
Nicotine is one of the most powerful of
the NERVE poisons" known. Its virulence
is compared to that of prussie acid. If
birds be made to inhale its vapor in
amounts too small to be measured, they
are almost instantly killed. It seems TO
destroy life, not by attacking few, but
Of all the functions essential to it, begin
ming at the centre, the heart. sgnifi-
cant indication of this is that there is no
substance known hieh can couuteract its
effects; the system either succumbs or sur
wives It's depressing action on the heart
is by far the most noticeable and note
worthy symptom of nicotine poisoning.
The frequent existence of what is known
as Smokers heart in men whose health
is in no other respect disturbed is due to
this fact.
Those who can use tobacco without i'm
mediate injury will have all the pleasant
effects reversed, and will suffer from the
symptoms Of poisoning if they exceed the
limits of tolerance. These symptoms are:
I. The hearts action becomes more rapid
when tobacco is used; ?. Palpitation, pain,
or unusual sensations in the heart; 3.
There is no appetite in the morning, the
tongue is coated, delicate favors are not
appreciated, and acid dyspepsia occurs
after eating; L. Soreness Of the mouth or
throat or nasal eatarrh, appears, and be-
comes very troublesome; >. The eyesight
becomes poor; 6. A desire, often craving,
for liquor or some other stimulant, is ex-
perienced.
In an experimental observation of tbir-
ty-eight boys of all classes of society, and
of average health. who had been using
tobacco for periods ranging from two
months TO two years, twenty showed
severe injury to the constitution and in
sufficient growth; thirty-two showed the
existence Of irregularity of the hearts
action, disordered stomachs, coughs, and
craving for alcohol; thirteen had inter-
mittency of the pulse; and one had COR
sumption After they had abandoned the
use of tobacco, within six months one
half were free from all their former symp-
toms, and the remainder bad recovered by
the end of the year
A great majority of men go far beyond
what may be called the temperate use OF
tobacco, and evidences of injury are easily
found 1t is only necessary to have some
record of what tie general health was pre-
vious to the taking up of the habit, and 10
have observation cover a long enough time.
The history of tobacco in the island OF
New Zealand furnishes a quite suggestive
for our purpose, and one on a
large scale When Europeans first visited
New Zealand they found in the native
Maolis the most finely developed and
powerful men OF the tribes inhabiting the
islands ofthe Pacific. Since the introduc-
ton Of tobacco, for which the Maoris de-
veloped passionate liking, they have
from this cause alone, it is said, become
decinlated in numbers, ard at the same
time reduced in stature aud in physical
we'll being so as TO be an altogether in
ferior type Of men, -fedical Journal
0 -