Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-05
TOBACCO FOR THE SICK.
4 Specialist Urges the Use of the
Weed In Certain Diseases.

Weed In Certain Diseases.
| From the New York World.
Score one for the weed. The hundreds of
millions of men who smoke tobacco will be
pleased to learn that DIR. Janllau, Ger
man physician and specialist in nervous
diseases, after making a careful study of
| the effect of nicotine On the system, de-
clares the moderate use of the weed to be
quite harmless. Indeed. there are numer-
| Gus instances, he says, in which tobacco
| may be used to advantage as a remedy.
| and he even goes SO far as to recommend
| cigar smoking in the case of certain pa
| tients who are recovering from sickness.
Cigar smoking, he says. is the best way
| to enjoy tobacco, but it should be INDUCED
| in moderately and the tobacco should not
lie strong. The doctor grows especially in
| terestIng when he discusses the effect of
| tobacco smoking on persons convalescing
| from sickness, for surely If a sick man
may smoke, SO also may man who Is
well.
| He holds that as a general rule there is
TO need to forbid the use of tobacco in
surgical affections and during GONZALES
cence after operations, with the exception
of those on the eye, the abdomen and the
bladder. AS to the question whether the
| use of tobacco plays any part in the pa
| tholoey of cancer of the lips and of the
| tongue, the doctor is not certain. Tobacco.
he says, should be forbidden. as a general
rule, in affections of the throat and of the
pharynX, and with certain restrictions in
nasal catarrh.
| Dr. Jankau has been struck by the fact
| that whenever a patient feels unwen he
evnceS a Discrimination to use tobacco. and
he therefore considers it good sign when
| the convale scent shows a desire to smoke,
as this indicates a return to the normal
| condition. Tobacco should, however, be
strictly forbidden in cases of peritontis.
| And patients who suffer from organic af-
| fections of the heart cannot generally toll
| crate tobacco with any ease. Nevertheless,
an habitual smoker may be allowed two or
| three mild cigars daily.
| AS to pulmonary affections, DR.. Jankau
| takes a decided stand, and declares that
| the use of tobacco is highly beneficial. EX-
periments have shown that tobacco de-
stroys such germs of carbuncle, typhoid
| fever and pneumonia as may exist in the
| mouth. The same effect of tobacco is seen
! in the case of the bacilli of tuberculosis.
He also considers it a great mistake not to
| allow those in the first stage of phthisis to
smoke: on the contrary, he would encour-
| age them to do so even more than for
merry.
Tobacco has a favorable influence on the
central nervous system, both on account of
| it's slightly narcotic action ard by distract
| ing the patients thoughts from himself
ard his illness to his smoking, and the as
sociations it brings with it. 1t is most i'm
portant that certain patients should be pre-
vented from continually thinking of them
| selves and their malady.
| With regard 20 functional affections of
| the nervous system, DR.. Jankau thinks
that it would not be advisable absolutely
to forbid smoking from the commence
| ment of the disease. The medical attend
ant should, however, be careful to state
plainly the number and quality of cigars
which may be smoked. and to ascertain as
far as possible whether the patient adj
heres to the directions given.
In nervous affections of the heart it IS
most important that the greatest care
should be exercised, and this is also true
of nervous dyspepsia. In fact the use of
cigarettes, however mild, may in the latter
| lead to very serious consequences. In or
ganic affections of the nervous system
great caution is requisite. Permission to
recommence smoking during convalescence
should only be accorded after a thorough
examination, and the patient should be
advised to act with much care in this mat
| ter. In all cases both the quality and guam
| tty of tobacco should be vigorously super
vised and its consumption allowed to in
crease only gradually.