Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-01-05
TOBACCO PIPES DIAGNOSED.

Medical Preference for Clay Over Wood
Imitation Mouthpieces Tabooed.
If tobacco smoking is justifable at all
on hygienic grounds, it is generally con-
coded that the pipe is the least injurious
means. But tobacco pipes differ consid-
erably in material and shapes, both Of
which must be important factors in de-
termining the character of the smoke.
Thus there is the clay, the meerschaum
and the various wooden pipes, the briar,
cherry, or myall. Next to the tobacco
therefore, which should always be pure
and free from added fayoring, an ex-
pedlent which is resOrted to far too COM
monty nowadays, probably in many in
stances to cover an inferior quality Of
tobacco, the best kind of pipe is a point
to be considered. Even assuming that he
is smoking good tobacco, the smoker
knows how different in character the
smoke is when drawn from a clay or a
WOODEN bowl There is probably a sci
entihc explanation of this fact which
must have some bearing on the noxious
or innocuous character of the smoke as
ssoclated with other products of combus-
tlon. "A soft clay is invariably cool smok-
I4g' because the acrid oils obtained on
the destructive distillation of the tobac-
CO are absorbed instead of collecting in
little pool, which must eventually either
by the volatilization or by mechanical
conveyance reach the mouth. A particular
pipe smokes hot'' not necessarily be-
cause the temperature of the smoke is
nlgh, but because it favors the passage
by one of these means of the oils i into t5e
mouth. Meerschaum is another Dorous
inaterlal. Again, an old wooden pine or
Dflar, SO dear to inveterate smokers. be-
comes smooth smoking because the
pores OF the wood widen and so absorb,
DIS IS the case with clay and meerschaum,
Of h.
thus an old pipe "sweats," as it is termed
That is, the oil intrudes into the expand
ed pores of the wooden bowl, ard at
length eXudes. Similarly. hook-shaped
pipe must be better than pipe the bowl
OF Whlcn is on the same level as the
mouth, Tor the simple reason that in the
former considerable quantity of the oil
IS kept back in the U-shaped part of the
pipe, while in the latter the oil travels
easily down the stem. Ebonite stems are
III general Objectionable because thev
commonly spoil the true flavor of to-
Dacco smoke. This is most probably due
TO the sulphur of the ebonite combining
with the volatile oils in the smoke We
know instances where ebonite stems have
produced distinctly Objectionable symp-
TOMS III the throat, most probably for the
reason just given. Bone or real amber
t luxe mnch more satisfactory stem, or
the pipes should be of wood throughout.
amber substitutes, and especially cellu-
lold, should be discarded entirely as dan
gerous, while the flavor of the camphor
which these invariably communicate to
the smoke forms very unpleasant COM
blnatlon: Pipes of special construction
cannot be regarded with much favor.
such as those which are said to be nv
glenlc and usually contain a so-called mic
otlne absorber. Those smokers who re-
quire such auxiliary attachments had
better not smoke at all. AS a matter Of
n fn hn al
smoke produced on it's partial combus-
ton, 1t is mainly of oils of a tarry and
acrld character that the toxic symptoms
OF tobacco smoking are due.-The Lancet.