Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-14
DEATH TURKS IN THE PIPE.
One of the Deadliest Poisons Known Gathers
In Its Bowl.

DEATH TURKS IN THE PIPE.
One of the Deadliest Poisons Known Gathers
in Its Bowl.
From the Philadelphia Press
In Camden on Sunday afternoon two-year-
old child sucked its fathers old clay pipe and
died within an hour in strong commissions.
Speaking of this calamity physician, who
stands among the foremost in his profession,
said yesterday:
1T should be a lesson to every parent and
every man who smokes Death in q terrible
form turks in every tobacco pipe. One Of the
deadliest poisons known to science gathers in
its bowl and stem. 1t is nc eIaggeration Of
fact to say that any pipe that has been smoked
for some time carries enough nicotine in it 10
kill almost instantly child Of even more ma
ture years and under some circumstances even
the smoker himself"
The fatality that befell Frank Filters child is
a rare and remarkable case, but it does not
| stand alone.
at is not an isolated case" said DR.. H. A.
Hare last evening. There are other similar
| ones record. A child fell against stone
and bruised Its lip. Its mother rubbed on ii
| the oil from an old pipe. In ten minutes it was
seized with violent sickness and died in con-
vulsions before two hours had passed.
| Il have heard, too, Of cases of deathly sick
I
den CASE where a child has taken an old pipe
| for plaything. l believe there are cases OF
! death resulting on record.
| There are two well-authenticated cases of
| suicide. one of murder and many OF accidental
death from nicotine.
IAN habitual smoker unwittngiy swallowed
| a quantity of the oil from his pipe He fell
down unconscious almost on the spot, and but
for prompt and very energetic medica! aid
| would have died.
Many other illustrations could give you
Of the deadly nature of the poison found in the
| tobacco leaf.
II knew case of three children suffering
| with skin disease on the head who had oil OF
| tobacco taken from pipe rubbed on. They
lay at deaths door in convulsions for twenty
four hours, but ultimately recovered.
1T is recorded that in the war of 1912 army
surgeons who did not wish to go on duty tied
moist tobacco leaves under their arms and be-
came so sick as to be unfit for duty"
What is the active poisonous principle in
| tobacco?"
.Nicotine It is. with the possible exceptions
| of hydrocyanic or prussc acid and carbolic
| acid. the most violent poison known. In its
chemically pure state a drop has been known to
kill dog almost like a fash of lightning"
docs the oil that gathers in pipe contain
much of it?'
"a very large proportion. The case from
Camden proves how deadly this oil can be.
There is no doubt that the child died from the
nicotine contained in the old pipe stem"
"Does the smoke OF burning tobacco contain
nicot;aey''
Enthusiastically It is a volatile oil and in
the destructive disti!lation that goes on in the
pipes bowl it is given off, mixed with other
Ingredients. OF course, the large proportion
| of the poison is deposited in the stem. but some
reaches the smokers mouth. Tie longer the
| pipe stem the less nicotine is absorbed.
flake a handkerchief some time when you
are smoking. Get good mouthfal Of smoke
| and blow it through the handkerchief There
| will be deposited on the linen a quantity of
dark-coiored sooty matter This upon chemical
analysis has been found to contain a consider
| able proportion of nicotine.
Then smoking must necessarily be injur-
ious?'
sIf indulged in to excess, certainly, though
it may not be in moderation. The system be-
comes accustomed to the poison and in small
quantities it ceases to be actively harmful. But
excessive smoking is certain 10 do harm. As t.
what is excess there can be no fixed rule. Il
depends on the individual Some men car
stand with IMMUNITY what would be highly dan
gerous for others.
II have not heard of the case" said Dr. J. K
r. Van Pelt, when spoken to on the subject
but have not the least doubt the child
death was caused by nicotine absorbed from
the old pipes stem. Commissions and grea
prostration are symptoms of nicotine poison
ing. 1t is the active princip e in tobacco and
is most virulent
1T does beyond question enter largely int
' the composition Of the oil which gathers in
i pipe stem. do not believe that the fumes o
4 | smoke Of tobacco contain nicotine, excep
n possibly in infnitesimal proportion. Ger
a man experimentalist analyzed the smoke o
. some tobacco which contained per cent @
!, nicotine, but found none at all in the fumes
e 800 you consider smoking harmful?'
= 'It must be if any nicotine is absorbed, an
especially in pipe smoking this would seem
be inevitable"
How about the cigarette?"
II cannot see how it can be SO injurious
the pipe at least SO far nicotine is cor
nicotine cannot accumulate and lie latent, a.
does in the pipes STEM.
"What would be the least injurious form
smoking?"
II should think very long-stemmed pipe Z
the nargileh OF the orient, in which the smol
passes through water"
There may have been other causes Of death
said DIR. Mcfarland, in discussing the case.
should be loath to believe that the nicotine ",
the only cause without full investigation.
''There is no doubt that nicotine is mo
virulent poison, and that it is contained in Il
oil that gathers in pipe. A child OF that ag
however, often has Commissions from 9th,
causes The nicotine might have precipltate
an attack il the child had tendency that wa
without being the actual cause Of death"
do tobacco fumes contain nicotine?''
~ without doubt ] have heard Of o ca
where violent sickness and death resulted to
d, child from inhallng tobacco smoke blown in
n the face by another"
1T is almost impossible to obtain chemical
I,v pure nicotine" said another PROMINENT phyl
~ clan, Enough il is claimed that il has be-
done. The oil of tobacco obtained by distiil
-. ton probably contains nicotine, and Il is pc
s es sible that the oil that gathers in q pipe do
ZOE also. But there are many other substanc
r and they are difficult to isolate.
- The oil Of tobacco h certainly virule
l. poison, II has been said that when . peoF
shorten their swords they win their battis
:. 1t might also be said that II they shorten the
so pipes they will die. A short-stemmed pipe
>. infinitely more harmful than long one, -
~ allows the oil TO be absorbed by the smoke
~" stead Of collecting in the stem"
The Deacoa's sporting side
From Che DEXTER (Me. Gazette.
an While the Exeter fair was Ia progress 4
nal pailev Praying Band va holding forth Il