Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-21
ABOUT CHEW ING GUM.


Here-Opinions of Home Doctors on the
Habit-Jaw Workers Get Some Pointers.
London is excited over the alleged adul-
teration OF chewing gum, and the contro.
versy has enlisted as high medical authority
as the Lancet, which, after summing up the
bubbles of lawyers employed to defend ar
rested dealers. resolves the matter thus:
"But what is chewing gum?' The fol-
lowing definition m light be suggested: A
substance of very variable composition, ig-
norantly employed by children, which,
when containing paraffine wax, may lead to
very grave dangers, and the sale of which
should be prohibited"
The legal definition is what the Lancet
has reference to.
There are gum-chewers in Pittsburg as
well as in London, but doctors here, as in
New York. do not generally seem to attach
muc Importance to the London agitation.
Doctors in Pittsburg are not always on tap
these days of grip and pneumonia, and it is
difficult to find them. Some treated the
matter with indifference and seemed to
think it not worth thought, and DIR. Edsall
refused to talk because he said he had never
investigated the matter. DR.. G. G. Wiley
said he hadn't given the matter an y thought.
but as paraffine was not soluble in gastric
juice, he did not suppose the chewing of it
would be injurious further than the unneces-
sarv chewing OF any other substance. He,
however, opined that the excitation Of the
salivary glands to the extent common with
confirmed gum-chewers might work injury
He also said the practice would unnecessar-
lily wear away the teeth, but thought that on
this head dentists would be the proper per-
sons to consult.
DIR. W. w. Whittier glanced over the
Lancet article and suggested that the furore
was started by some news gatherer, who had
nothing of moment on his hands for the time
being, but felt it Incumbent on him to fill
his space. In conclusion, he remarked that
he didn't thiEk there was anything in it.
DIR. Barr, of Charters, P. s. L. E. Rail-
way, smiled when the subject was mentioned,
and replied that there would have been a
great mortality among the young ladies of
his district had there been anything very
deleterious in chewing gum. DR.. Barr does
not like the practice, and suggests that snap
shots with a kodak, catching the girls with
jaws under full headway, would be most
effective to stop it. He thinks if they could
realize how they look when mastlcating the
knowledge would be more deterrent than
either sarcasm or advice, and doubtless the
doctor is about right.
So much for physicians. The practice
may be comparatively harmless and is
doubtless preferable to chewing tobacco or
snuff.rubbing, but it is ipelegant, no matter
how exclusive and recherche some of its vo-
taries may be. 1t is difficult TO tell what
may be in chewing gum, but there are so
many substances that may be utilized that
there seems to be no pressing necessity to
use deleterious ones. Some apologists for
the disgusting American habit of chew
ing tobacco contend that the mechan-
ical action of the weed on the
teeth is to cleanse them, but tolerably COM
petent authorities contend that brush and
soap and water will do the work much bet
ter without exciting the salivary glands and
saturating the system with nicotine. Nor
thern Ohio youth were formerly partial to
tamarack gum. Its taste was not particu-
larly pleasant, but as tooth cleaner it was
as good as any other gum, and there W.
certainly nothing deleter1ous except the
chewing.
The practice doubtless tends toward filth
ness OF habit For instance, it is common
when two girls as sweet as June roses are
getting their lessons together and one has
forgotten her gum for the other to oblige her
friend by lending her wad part of the
time, they chewing the same piece alter
nately until recess allowed them to repro
vision. Now, a fellow Can stand considera-
BILE from a nice girl, but this practice is not
calculated to make her appear more angelic
in his eyes. However, an angel IS scarce
proper synonym for girl, as all angels we
have ever heard OF were represented as OF
the masculine gender.