The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1889-01-16
THE USE or TOBACCO.
The virsoes and vices Of the weed IN an
shapes.

shapes
Tobacco contains an acrid. dark
brown oil, an ulkaIoid, nicotine, and
another substance called nicotianine,
IN which exist its odorous and volatile
principles. When tobacco IS burned,
q new set of substances Is produced,
Some of which are less harmful than
the nicotine. and are more agreeable
In effect, and much of the acrid ola
substance quite as irritating and pot
sonouS as nicotine-is carried of.
These fire produced substances are
called from their origin, the sspyridine
series. By great heat the more aro-
matte and less harmful memEerSof the
series are produced, but the more poi
sonouS compounds are generated by
the slow combustion of damp tobacco
This oil which Is liberated by combuS-
ton Is bed both in flavor and IN effect,
and e Is better, even for the nnmedi-
are pleasure of the smoker, that It
should be excluded altogether from
his mouth and air passages
Smoking in a stub of pipe IS par
ticularly injurious. for the reason
that In it the oil IS stored in a con-
deIlsed form, and the smoke Is there
fore highly charged with the oil
Sucking or chewing the stub of cigar
that ono Is smoking Is a serious mis-
take. because the nicotine in the un
burned tobacco dissolves freely in the
saliva, and Is absorbed Chewing"
is ON this account the most injurious
form of the tobacco habit, and the use
of a cigar holder is an improvement
ON the custom of holding the cigar be-
tween the teeth. Cigarettes are re-
sponsible for great amount of mis-
ellief. not because the smoke from the
paper hes any particularly evil effect,
but because smokers they are
often boys or very young men-are
apt to use them continuously or at
frequent intervals, believing that their
POKER for evil is insignificant. Thus
the nerves are under the constant in
luence of the drug, and much injury
to the system results. Moreover, the
cigarette smoker uses very consider
able amount of tobacco during the day
Dipping" and .-snufiing' are semi
eussed Not much effect is obtained
varieties of the habit
Nicotine Is one of the most powerful
of the nerve poisonS" known Its
virulcnec is compared to that of prus-
sic Sc:d. If birds be made to inhale its
vapcr in amounts too small to be
measured, they are almost instantly
killed It seems to destroy life, not
by attacking few, but of ell the func-
tons essential to It, beginning at the
center. the heart a significant indi-
cation Of this is that there is no sub
stmce known which can counteract
its efTevtS: the system either succumbs
or survives. It's depressing action on
the heart IS by far the most noticeable
and noteworthy symptom OF nicotine
poisoning The frequent existence of
what Is known as smokers heart" in
men whose health is in no other re-
spect disturbed is due to this fact.
Those who can use tobacco without
Immediate injury will have all the
pleasant effects reversed, and will suf-
fer from the symptoms of poisoning if
they exceed the limit of tolerance.
These symptoms are: L The hearts
sctiou becomes more rapid when to-
bacco IS used; 2. Palpitation, pain or
unusual sensations in the heart; 8.
There IS no appetite in the morning,
the tongue Is coated, delicate havorS
are not appreciated, and acid dyspep-
STA occurs after eating; 4. Soreness of
the mouth and throat, or nasal ca
tarrh, appears and becomes very
troublesome; 5. The eyesight becomes
poor, but improves when the habit Is
abandoned; 6. A desire, often a crav-
ing. for liquor or some other Stimu-
liant, Is experienced.
In an experimental observation of
thirty eight boys of all classes of so
ciety, and of average health. who had
been using tobacco for periods rang
ing from two months to two years,
twenty-seven showed severe injury to
the constitution and insufficient
growth: thirty-two showed the ex-
istencs Of irregularity of the hearts
action, d;sordered stomachs, cough,
and a craving for alcohol; thirteen had
intermittency of the pulse. and one
had consumption. After they had
abandoned the use of tobacco, within
six months one-haf were free from
all their former symptoms. and the re-
nlaindcr lad recovered by the end of
the year.
a great majority of men 60, far be-
EOnd what may be called the temper
ate use of tobacco. and evidences of
injury are easily found. 1t is only
Necessary to-haYe some record. of what
the genes2E health was previous to the
taking up OF the habit, and to have OBJ
seFvRticl cover a long enough time.
The history of tobacco in the island of
New Zealand furnishes quite sugges-
tive illustration for our purpose, and
one on a large scale. When Europe
ans first visited New Zealand they
found IN the native Maoris the most
finely developed and powerful men of
any of the tribes inhabiting the islands
of the Pacific Since the introduction
OF tobacco, for which the Maoris de-
velOped a passionate liking, they have
from this cause alone, it is said, be-
come decimated In numbers, and, at
the same time, reduced in stature and
in physical well being so as to be an
altogether inferior type of men.-New
York Medical Journal.