Griggs courier., 1898-12-29
TOBACCO PIPES.
4 Medical Authority Tint Says Clay II
Preferable to Wood.

4 Medical Authority Tint Says Clay 10
Preferable to Wood.
If tobacco smoking is justifiable at all
on hygienic grounds, says The Lancet.
1t is generally conceded that the pipe is
the least injurious means. But tobacco
pipes differ considerably in material
aud shapes, both Of which must be i'm.
portant factors in determining tho char.
acter of the smoke Thus there are the
clay, the meerschaum and the various
wooden pipes. the brier, cherry or ny
all. Next to the tobacco, therefore,
which should always be pure and free
from added havoring, all expediept
which is resorted to far too commonly
nowadays, probably in many instances
to cover an inferior quality Of tobacco,
the best kind of pipe is o point to he
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 wooden
bowl. There is probably a scientific eS
PLANTATION of this fact which must hav.
some bearing on the noxious or innocu-
ous character Of the smoke associated
with other products Of combustion.
A soft clay is invariably cool smck.
ing because the acid 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 me-
chanical conveyance reach the mouth.
A particular pipe "smokes hot" not
nil 11y tho n 0f
the smoke is high, but because it favors
the passage by one CT these means Of
the oils into the mouth. Meerschaum is
another porous material Again. an old
wooden pipe or brier, SO dear to invet-
crate smokers, becomes ''smooth emok
ing" because the pores of the wood
widen and so absorb, as is the case with
clay or meerschaum, large proportion
Of the tobacco oil.
Thus an old pipe "sweats," as it is
sermed-that is. the oil intrudes into
the expanded pores Of the wooden bowl
and at length exudes Similarly hook
shaped pipe must be better than pipe
the bowl of which is on the same level
with the mouth, for the simple reason
that in the former considerable guam
:ity 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 in general OBJ
jectionable because they commonly spoil
the true flavor Of tobacco 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 dis
tinctly Objectionable symptoms in the
throat, most probably for the reason
just given.
Bone or real amber makes much
more satisfactory stem, or the pipes
should be of wood throughout. Amber
substitutes, and especially celluloid,
should be discarded entirely as danger
ous, while the favor Of camphor which
these invariably communicate to the
smoke forms very unpleasant combi-
nation. Pipes of special construction
cannot be regarded with much favor.
such as those which are said to be by
Eienic and usually contain so called
nicotine absorber. Those smokers who
require such auxiliary attachments had
better not smoke at all. As Q matter Of
fact tobacco yields little nicotine in tho
smoke produced on its partial oombus-
tion. It is mainly to oils Of . tarzy and
acrid character that the toxic symptomf
Of tobacco smoking ase due.